Keshap leads US delegation to 15th Indian Ocean Rim Association Ministerial meeting

Thursday, 22 October 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Atul Keshap is leading the US delegation to the 15th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers meeting, being held from 20-23 October in Padang, Indonesia.

IORA promotes regional collaboration across the Indian Ocean rim in six key areas: maritime safety and security; trade and investment facilitation; fisheries management; disaster risk management; academic sciences and technology; and tourism and cultural exchanges.

The United States has strong interest in the stability, development and security of the Indian Ocean Rim, and is working with key partners in support of collaboration, development, and dialogue across these key priorities, the State Department said in a release.

IORA, which was earlier known as the Indian Ocean Rim – Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) prior to 2013, is a group of 20 countries that border the Indian Ocean Rim, spanning three continents, Africa, Asia and Australia. Sri Lanka is a founder member of the organisation.