VISAKHAPATNAM: Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Pacific Fleet, on Saturday said MILAN 2022 created history as a large number of navies have come together with an emphasis on 'camaraderie, collaboration and cohesion' with the intention of tackling the issues of changing nature of competition and conflict at sea.
"All like-minded navies of the Indo-Pacific region came together to discuss key issues. A democracy is largely dependent on a great deal of commerce at seas. Another tremendous emphasis during the meet has been QUAD discussions between India, Japan, Australia and US. It provided a wonderful opportunity to discuss the shared interests, goals, and understanding so as to enhance cooperation and collaboration among the QUAD countries," he said.
He said it was his second visit to India. He visited the country six years ago and there has been tremendous growth in the country in the six years. He said that alliances are dependent on the national interests of the respective countries.
However, there are mutual interests and long term benefits. This was manifest in day-to-day activities such as increased information sharing and activities, he said. "Sovereignty of any nation is the key. Nations should never try to change their borders by force or threatening. Sovereignty, freedom of seas and UN conventions should be honoured," Samuel Paparo said.
The biggest and immediate challenge is in the South China Sea due to maritime claims of the People's Republic of China in violation of international laws. It was trying to unify Taiwan by force and intimidation, he said, adding that Vietnam's participation in MILAN is very inspiring. Vietnam is a victim of aggression in the maritime domain, he pointed out.