HANOI: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has said that economic prosperity and maritime security go hand-in-hand and in the entire paradigm of security, non-traditional and newly emerging threats ought to be tackled.
"We cannot tap the bounty of the Indian Ocean without ensuring maritime peace and stability. Economic prosperity and maritime security go hand-in-hand. Security is an all-encompassing concept and includes traditional, non-traditional and newly emerging threats," Ms Swaraj said on Monday evening, addressing the Third Indian Ocean Conference here.
In this context, she mentioned about maritime terrorism, smuggling, transnational crimes, drug-trafficking, illegal immigration, piracy, unregulated private maritime security companies and proliferation of sensitive items.
"It is self evident, therefore, that those who live in this region bear the primary responsibility for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean. It is equally valid that it is only through collective action that we can meet these challenges," she said.
Ms Swaraj is in Vietnam on the first leg of her four-day two-nation tour which aims at deepening India's strategic cooperation with Vietnam and Cambodia.
"Nurturing a climate of peace and stability in this region is therefore an important priority for our foreign policy. We believe that despite our diversity, the challenges we face are quite similar. Our vision for the region is one of cooperation and collective action," she said.