New Delhi, February 15 – The Indian Ocean Region (IOR), which borders three continents – Asia, Africa, and Australia, and contributes to over 70 to 75 per cent of international trade via its crucial sea route, remains one of the most vital and vulnerable assets in the 21st century.
With India at its center, its role as a security provider for the 7,500-km coastline becomes even more important, as evidenced by the government's focus on building ties with key stakeholders in the region through diplomatic outreach.
Notably, India has recently upgraded its diplomatic outreach in the region, seeking to build stronger ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Malaysia on February 8 was a step in this direction.
India has sought to build better ties with countries such as Malaysia, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Oman, all of which are seen as key stakeholders in the IOR.
According to an assessment by the Eurasia Review, "India's naval diplomacy has demonstrated the scale of groundwork laid over years of humanitarian work, port access negotiations, and quiet diplomatic capital-building."
"What became evident was not a flurry of last-minute activism, but the crest of a long strategic wave. At the heart of that wave stood Kuala Lumpur – India's first stop in a series of engagements that brought together the entire breadth of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)," it says.
It also says that India and Malaysia have shown a willingness and resolve to enhance maritime cooperation, and this was evident from their intensified efforts to engage in the IOR.
"Malaysia's geographic position astride the Strait of Malacca, a chokepoint through which nearly a quarter of global trade flows. Joint exercises such as 'Samudra Laksamana' now carry heightened value as India and Malaysia emphasize an open, rules-based maritime order," it adds.
The report describing Oman as "the anchor of the West", says that the Gulf nation has consistently offered India something few nations can claim with such reliability: strategic predictability.
"Maritime exercises, particularly Naseem Al Bahr, have matured into wider defence-industrial frameworks under a Vision Document adopted in 2025," it says, adding that partnership with Oman is crucial for India's western flank.
On February 9, the Indian government also announced a $175 million special economic package for Seychelles, underscoring its determination to prevent the southern Indian Ocean from falling into the hands of predatory external powers.
Furthermore, over the years, India has become Sri Lanka's primary partner for naval training and equipment. This has maintained the neutrality of Sri Lankan waters at a time when various powers have attempted to secure footholds for geopolitical leverage.
The report further points towards India's increasing engagements with various nations under a common doctrine of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region).
"The upcoming MILAN 2026 naval exercises, set to be the largest India has hosted, will likely serve as the next major platform to demonstrate the maturing of this vision," the report says, illustrating the changing equations.
