Visakhapatnam, February 20 Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, announced on Friday that India has taken over the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) during the 9th Conclave of Chiefs held here.
He stated that India is prepared to take on greater responsibility to ensure peace, stability, and security in maritime spaces as it assumes leadership of the forum.
"India has assumed the chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium during the 9th Conclave of Chiefs held here," Sobti told reporters.
He noted that maritime challenges are shared across nations and require enhanced interoperability, structured communication mechanisms, and coordinated responses among the navies of the Indian Ocean Region.
The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium is a voluntary initiative aimed at increasing maritime cooperation among the navies of littoral states in the Indian Ocean Region.
It provides an open and inclusive forum for discussion on regionally relevant maritime issues and seeks to promote the flow of information among naval professionals to foster common understanding and cooperative solutions.
IONS currently comprises 25 member navies and nine observer nations and has evolved into a credible multilateral framework promoting trust, transparency, and practical collaboration.
The chairmanship rotates among member countries for a two-year term and includes one Conclave of Chiefs and one Preparatory Workshop during each cycle.
Activities under IONS are conducted through three Working Groups, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Maritime Security, and Information Sharing and Interoperability.
These groups focus on disaster response coordination, addressing piracy and maritime threats, and enhancing Maritime Domain Awareness through structured information-sharing mechanisms.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy, Rob de Wit, said the Indian Ocean Region is vital for the Dutch and wider European economies and expressed gratitude to India for hosting the IONS Conclave of Chiefs.
He emphasised that multilateral platforms like IONS are essential to discuss shared maritime challenges and ensure security and stability, saying such cooperation would foster long-term peace and economic prosperity.
Referring to piracy, he said while incidents off the "Horn of Africa" have declined, emerging hotspots remain a concern.
Sharing operational experience among navies would strengthen collective counter-piracy efforts, he added.