India has
taken over as co-chair of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Working
Groups on Maritime Security and HADR for the forthcoming cycle, officials said.
The eighth Indian Ocean Naval Symposium
(IONS) Conclave of Chiefs was conducted by the Royal Thai Navy in Bangkok from
December 19-22, the defense ministry said in a statement.
The chiefs of
navies and senior delegates from 27 member and observer countries took part in
the event, it said. Navy Chief Admiral R
Hari Kumar attended the event with a three-member naval delegation.
During the
conclave, Thailand assumed the duties of "chair of IONS and the work plan
for the next two years was finalized", the statement added.
"As a
first, a flag designed by India was selected as the IONS flag. India also took
over as the co-chair of IONS Working Groups on Maritime Security and HADR for
the forthcoming cycle. Republic of Korea Navy was welcomed by the conclave as
the latest 'observer', raising the collective strength of IONS to 34 (25
members and nine observers)," the statement said.
Admiral Kumar
visited INS Kadmatt in Bangkok, interacted with the ship's crew and commended
its successful long-range deployment. The
ship's visit to Thailand coinciding with the IONS conclave, symbolizes the
Indian Navy's outlook towards the Indian Ocean Region multilateral construct of
the 21st century.