Panaji, Feb. 18 -- The upcoming Goa Maritime Conclave, with the participation of navies from 14 Indian Ocean nations, is taking place amid challenges such as illegal and unregulated fishing and drug trafficking, which impact the regional stability, a senior naval official said.
Rear Admiral A D Nair, commandant of the Naval War College of Goa, told reporters in Panaji that the February 21 event will be held under the theme "Common maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region - Progressing lines of effort to mitigate dynamic threats".
The conclave, GMC-26, will bring together naval chiefs and senior representatives from 14 Indian Ocean countries, he said.
"The theme of GMC-26 is highly relevant to the current maritime security environment. Challenges such as illegal, unreported, unregulated fishing, narcotics trafficking, and other illicit activities directly impact economic security, environmental sustainability and regional stability," said Nair.
He said that these threats often exploit jurisdictional gaps and require coordinated response rather than unilateral actions. "For the Indian Ocean Region, characterised by dense maritime traffic and diverse stakeholders, the need for shared awareness and cooperative mechanisms has never been greater," he said.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.