Maritime Conference held as part of IDEAS 2018

KARACHI: In tandem with various activities on the 2nd day of IDEAS 2018, various dignitaries from Italy, Jordan, Poland, Sri Lanka and Turkey called on Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Kaleem Shaukat.

Prominent amongst the visiting dignitaries were Commander Royal Jordanian Naval Forces, Brigadier General Ibrahim Salman Al Naimat Deputy Director and Secretary General of Defence & National Armament Italy, Admiral Dario Giacomin Dg Admin Sri Lankan Navy, Rear Admiral KG Paul Director Armament Poland Army, Brig General Karlo Dymonowski Vice President Defence Industries Turkey, Murat Seker and Vice President M/S Leonardo Italy Maurizio Facchin.

During the meetings, matters related to mutual defence collaboration including joint development of platforms, equipment and sensors, training exchange programmes in diverse fields and common maritime challenges were discussed.

As a capstone activity in IDEAS-2018, National Centre for Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR) Karachi Chapter of National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) under the auspices of Pakistan Navy organized a Maritime Conference on the topic Maritime Security Dynamics and Requirement of Innovative Solutions for Indian Ocean Region.

Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Kaleem Shaukat graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and Brigadier General Ibrahim Salman Al Naimat, Commander of Royal Jordanian Naval Forces as the Guest of Honour in the conference.

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi also participated in the conference.

While addressing on the occasion the Minister stated that during the conference a myriad of complex military and maritime related challenges and their solutions also came under discussion.

Vice Chief of Naval Staff while highlighting the significance of Indian Ocean Region in prevailing situation, dilated upon the myriad of maritime security challenges being faced by the littoral states.

He emphasized that besides, collaboration and information sharing with partner nations, the demands of effective maritime domain awareness also require capability enhancement through technological innovations.

Only by utilizing latest technological solutions coupled with apt tactics, we can address evolving maritime security challenges.

While highlighting the role of Pakistan Navy in maritime security efforts, Vice Chief of Naval Staff expressed that Pakistan Navy has remained an active contributor to multinational coalition efforts.

Recently, it has also embarked upon a strategic initiative of Regional Maritime Security Patrol to further the objective of regional maritime security.

In his address on the occasion, Commander Royal Jordanian Naval Forces said that maritime security challenges are complex and inter-connected. The only solution to tackle these challenges lies in greater cooperation and collaboration amongst all stakeholders.

He applauded the contents of the papers by the speakers and commended Pakistan Navy for spearheading multilateral maritime engagements to contribute effectively to the regional security environment in general; and maritime domain, in particular.

Earlier, Vice Admiral (Retd.) Sayid Khawar Ali, NIMA DG delivered the keynote address and enlightened the audience on the importance of conference topic.

The conference was attended by high-level civil and military officials, eminent maritime stakeholders and world renowned defence industry entrepreneurs.