VISAKHAPATNAM : “India continues its proactive engagement and has been maintaining a sustained presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to ensure safety and security of all shipping, irrespective of the flag on the ship and the nationality of the crew. It is our steadfast resolve to be the first responder and the preferred security partner in the IOR, and for the peace, stability and prosperity of the wider Indo-Pacific,” said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Addressing the formal opening ceremony of the 12 edition of MILAN 2024 in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday, he reiterated that India will continue to play the role of a ‘Vishwa Mitra’ in forging meaningful partnerships that make the world a truly connected and equitable habitat for the humanity as a whole.
The event was graced by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and a distinguished gathering of ministers, ambassadors, Chiefs of foreign navies and representatives of maritime forces from over 50 friendly countries.
The Defence Minister called upon the international community to collectively aspire for peace in this age of democratic and rules-based world order, where individual countries proactively collaborate for shared peace and prosperity.
Asserting that the absence of wars and conflicts is the most irreducible minimum element of peace, he spoke of “negative peace” which, he said, often stems from dominance or hegemony, where one power imposes its will upon others. “Such peace, not backed by fairness and justice, is what physicists and economists call “unstable equilibrium”,” he added.
He further elaborated on what he called “cold peace” where parties do not kill each other in the open, but do their best to undermine one another. Describing “cold peace” as merely an interval between direct conflicts, Rajnath Singh said, “The positive peace is the shared peace of one and all, with the cooperation of one and all. There is no Indian peace or Australian peace or Japanese peace, rather it is the shared global peace. This sentiment was also eloquently set forth by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he said ‘This is not an era of war. But it is one of dialogue and diplomacy’.”
Rajnath Singh batted for peace and shared goodness, he assured that “We will not shrink from countering any threat that undermines our collective well-being, piracy and trafficking included”. He referred to the recent events in the Western Indian Ocean which have brought to the fore some pressing challenges in the maritime domain, ranging from attacks on merchant shipping to piracy and hijacking attempts.
Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Hari Kumar said underpinned by Government of India’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), MILAN encapsulates and rejuvenates the unrelenting spirit of ‘Cohesion, Camaraderie and Collaboration.’ From five IOR navies in 1995 to 50 navies across the Indo-Pacific today, MILAN reflects the growing stature and increasing importance of such collective and cooperative endeavours in the maritime domain, he said.
The Chief of the Naval Staff informed that the Harbour Phase, which is underway, has seen insightful discussions through Subject Matter Expert Exchanges and Table Top Exercises.
Admiral R Hari Kumar added that the Sea Phase commencing on February 24 will witness Indian and foreign warships sailing in unison and participating in an array of operational drills pushing the collective boundaries and refining the skills together.