Dhaka, Sept. 2 -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference. Foreign ministers of Australia, Iran and Sri Lanka are among a group of ministers to be arriving in Bangladesh to attend the conference.

The IORA, or Indian Ocean Rim Association is an inter-governmental organisation established on Mar 7, 1997 and consists of countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

The member states are Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Japan, Germany, China, the UK, the US, France, and Egypt are the dialogue partners.

Minister for foreign affairs of Comoro...