The 8th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) 2025 was hosted by India Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman in Muscat, Oman, on February 16–17, 2025. Oman has long been a prominent seafaring nation, sharing a maritime connection with India that spans over 5,000 years. Both countries are strategic partners, collaborating closely on various developmental initiatives in the region.
The conference was centred around the theme Voyage to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership. The conference emphasised the significance of inclusivity and forging new partnerships within the maritime sector. The event aimed to strengthen cooperation among nations and institutions to tackle common challenges, improve connectivity, and promote sustainable development in the region. Foreign ministers from over 30 countries in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and various international organisations participated in the conference and highlighted the region’s strategic importance and the necessity for collective action to address shared issues.
IOR refers to the region around the Indian Ocean, including countries such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Somalia, Tanzania, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, etc. It spans from the Strait of Malacca and western Australia in the east to the Mozambique Channel in the west, encompassing key waterways like the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea in the north, and extends to the southern Indian Ocean. It covers about 20 per cent of the world’s water surface, a quarter of the world’s landmass, and three-quarters of the global oil reserves.
Security of IOR by India It took India several decades to recognise the natural goodwill it enjoys in the IOR, once known as a ‘British lake’. India began strengthening ties through initiatives like the IOC. In this century, the global power axis has shifted to the Indian Ocean, with the US, the UK and France actively involved, and China investing heavily to expand its influence. The present Indian government aims to rise as a blue-water power and the voice of the Global South, and has launched the ambitious SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) Initiative in 2015.
At present, the Indian Ocean is a crowded space, with vessels from major countries navigating its waters and undersea cables for next-generation communication networks—traditionally managed by European companies but increasingly by China’s Huawei. The region faces numerous challenges, including piracy, terrorism, climate change, trafficking, illegal fishing, arms running, poaching, and humanitarian issues like rising sea levels, evacuations, and disaster relief.
Alfred T. Mahan, a prominent geopolitical theorist, had noted over a century ago that maritime supremacy in the Indian Ocean would make a nation a key international player. His remark serves as a reminder to the leaders at the IOC that the region’s supremacy should remain in their hands and they must manage its affairs as a ‘region of peace’.
Some Highlights
The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, emphasised the importance of ensuring freedom of maritime navigation, maritime security, and enhancing regional and international cooperation to protect maritime supply chains. He noted that the conference served as a strategic platform to discuss maritime issues, the future of the blue economy, sustainable development, and modern technology for port security.
Oman’s Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi highlighted the need of multilateral cooperation to tackle modern maritime threats, such as piracy, and illegal fishing, and stressed the importance of UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, underscored the need for collective action to uphold a stable and rules-based maritime order. He further stated that in the face of rising geopolitical uncertainty and environmental challenges, it is crucial for all nations to collaborate in maintaining maritime stability and to pursue sustainable solutions to protect the Indian Ocean for future generations. He said that the conference provided a valuable platform to exchange ideas, build new partnerships, and reaffirm shared commitment to these goals. He focused on fostering constructive discussions to ensure a more secure and sustainable future for the IOR.
What India Said
India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar, highlighted the importance of an open and constructive exchange of ideas, especially regarding the Indian Ocean’s strategic significance as a global lifeline, influencing production, consumption, and worldwide connectivity.
India outlined regional challenges, particularly in the Middle East or West Asia, where ongoing conflicts have disrupted global shipping and affected regional economies. In the Indo-Pacific, tensions around maritime rights and international law also pose challenges. For littoral and island States in the Indian Ocean, issues such as resource constraints, debt, Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDG) targets, and rebuilding connectivity, post-colonial disruption, remain prevalent.
India’s Contributions to address these challenges include strengthening its maritime capabilities and fostering partnerships. India has been actively involved in stabilising economies under stress, such as providing a financial package to Sri Lanka during its crisis and offering vaccines, medicines, and food to various nations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key connectivity projects like the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMTT) aim to enhance regional trade and connectivity with a strong maritime component.
India’s leadership also extends to disaster response, having acted as a first responder in situations such as the Yemen conflict, natural disasters in Mozambique, and oil spills near Mauritius and Sri Lanka. The country has further promoted institutional cooperation through initiatives like the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD), the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), and the International Fusion Centre, which enhances maritime safety. In addition, India has been training and equipping regional navies and coast guards, contributing to digital security communication and harmonising activities between resident and non-resident powers in the Indo-Pacific. Furthermore, India has played an instrumental role in building regional institutions, such as Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) all of which emphasise collective action.
India’s commitment to the region’s stability, security, and sustainable development remains unwavering, aiming to achieve shared goals through coordinated efforts with all stakeholders in the Indian Ocean.
About IOC
The IOC was initiated by the India Foundation in 2016, in Singapore, with participation from 30 countries. Over the past eight years, the conference has evolved into the premier consultative forum for addressing regional affairs among countries in the Indian Ocean. Its primary goal is to bring together key States and major maritime partners of the region on a unified platform to discuss and explore opportunities for regional cooperation, focusing on the concept of SAGAR.
It is an annual international forum aimed at fostering regional cooperation and tackling challenges within the IOR. It brings together heads of government, senior officials, private-sector leaders, scholars, and experts to engage in discussions on key issues such as maritime security, economic growth, environmental sustainability, and geopolitics.
The IOC has become a key platform for promoting dialogue and collaboration since its inception. Countries like India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman, and Singapore have been instrumental in its activities. The conference tackles both traditional security issues, such as naval power, territorial disputes, and emerging challenges like climate change, natural disasters, and economic disruptions.
About the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean derives its name from the historical and civilisational influence that India has had on the countries surrounding it. For thousands of years, the ocean has been known by the names such as ‘Hind Mahasagar’ and the ‘Indian Ocean’, which are familiar to voyagers and explorers who navigated its waters. The Indian Ocean is a peaceful region united by shared civilisation and culture. It spans across the shores of 26 countries. For landlocked nations like Nepal and Bhutan, it serves as a crucial lifeline.
The Indian Ocean covers approximately one-fifth of the total ocean area of the world. It is the smallest, geologically youngest, and physically most complex as compared to the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. It has an area of about 70,560,000 sq. km, with an average depth of 3,741 metres. Its deepest point lies in the Sunda Deep of the Java Trench, off the southern coast of the island of Java (Indonesia), at about 7,450 metres.
The Indian Ocean is bounded by Iran, India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan to the north; the Malay Peninsula, the Sunda Islands of Indonesia, and Australia to the east; the Southern Ocean to the south; and Africa and the Arabian Peninsula to the west.
The Indian Ocean remains a crucial trade route, with vital supply chains passing through the region, handling nearly 70 per cent of global container traffic. About 80 per cent of India’s external trade and 90 per cent of its energy trade also rely on these maritime routes.
© Spectrum Books Pvt. Ltd.
