Bangladesh consider IORA a driving force for development

Bangladesh considers IORA a driving force for development and has called upon the member states of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to focus on the areas of economic cooperation for mutual benefits.

“IORA is a key driving force to ensure development, peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region,” state minister for foreign affairs Md Shahriar Alam said on Thursday in Indonesia.

He was leading the Bangladesh delegation to the 16th Council of Ministers Meeting of the IORA in Bali hosted by the Indonesian government as the current Chair of the association, the foreign ministry said.

The Meeting that adopted two documents ‘Bali Communique’ and ‘Declaration on Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment’ was held ahead of the first ever IORA Leaders’ Summit which will be held in Jakarta on Mar 7, commemorating the 20th anniversary of its establishment.

The state minister in his statement said that IORA should take “pride” for its “meaningful” engagements during the last two decades in the region through “sustained dialogue and cooperation”.

He said it had also emerged as a “responsible forum that comprehensively addressed regional and global security issues pertinent to the region”.

The Bali meeting was attended by delegations from its 21 member states at including Australia, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, UAE and Comoros.

In the March Summit, the heads of government or states of the IORA member states are expected to sign the ‘IORA Concord’ along with an Action Plan to implement the decisions of the Concord.