New Delhi : Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate in Monday’s high-level open debate on Maritime Security at the United Nations Security Council, being chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as India holds the month-long presidency of the 15-member world body.
“V.V. Putin will participate in a video conference within the framework of the UN Security Council on the subject of ‘Enhancing Maritime Security: A Case for International Cooperation.’ The event is held at the initiative of Narendra Modi, the prime minister of the Republic of India, which chairs the UN Security Council in August of this year,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
The open debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation’ will be held at 5.30 pm (IST) on Monday via video conferencing, a statement said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Modi too conveyed through social media about his virtual presence at the UNSC tomorrow.
African Union President Felix- Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who is also the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, will also participate in the open debate, “given the importance that the topic of maritime security has for Africa”.
The meeting is expected to be attended by several Heads of State and Government of member states of the United Nations Security Council, and high level briefers from the UN System and key Regional Organizations.
The debate will focus on ways to effectively counter maritime crime and insecurity and strengthen coordination in the maritime domain, a statement said.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti, had in his August 2 briefing said that the open debate will “seek answers from member states to questions such as what could be done to address the drivers of maritime crime and insecurity, how could member states enhance their capabilities and improve operational coordination to answer maritime-related threats, and how to advance the implementation through international cooperation.”
He said India’s objective through this high level open debate “is to make equal access for all nations to the use of the global commons so that sea lanes are rendered as pathways to mutual prosperity and corridors of peace.”
According to the official statement, the UN Security Council has discussed and passed resolutions on different aspects of maritime security and maritime crime. However, this will be the first time that maritime security will be discussed in a holistic manner as an exclusive agenda item in such a high level open debate.
“Given that no country alone can address the diverse aspects of maritime security, it is important to consider this subject in a holistic manner in the United Nations Security Council. A comprehensive approach to Maritime Security should protect and support legitimate maritime activities, while countering traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain,” it said.
Oceans have played an important part in India’s history right from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization. Based on our civilizational ethos that sees the seas as an enabler of shared peace and prosperity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi put forward the vision of SAGAR – an acronym for ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region’ in 2015.
This vision focuses on cooperative measures for sustainable use of the oceans, and provides a framework for a safe, secure, and stable maritime domain in the region.
In 2019, at the East Asia Summit, this initiative was further elaborated through the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) with a focus on seven pillars of maritime security including Maritime Ecology; Maritime Resources; Capacity Building and Resource Sharing; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation; and Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport, it said.
Modi would be the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate. The event will be broadcast live on the United Nations Security Council website.
UNI
