• By Mayukh Debnath
  • Fri, 09 Feb 2024 06:40 PM (IST)
  • Source:ANI
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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that it's time for nations in the Indian Ocean Region, including India, to "reflect on whether they should pursue more collective self-alliance or remain as vulnerable as in the past". He said this in the context of building "reliable and resilient supply chains" spread across a larger area.

"The need of the day is to disperse production across more geographies and build reliable and resilient supply chains. The digital era and the emergence of artificial intelligence have, in parallel, put a premium on trust and transparency", Jaishankar stated. He further said that the core concept of security in the Indian Ocean Region has undergone a significant change in recent times.

"Our very concept of security has undergone a metamorphosis into a volatile and uncertain existence. As a result, nations of the Indian Ocean today need to reflect on whether they should pursue more collective self-alliance or remain as vulnerable as in the past. Our sustainable future lies in concentrating on the drivers of the future," the minister was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

The remark came during his address at the inaugural session of the 7th Indian Ocean Conference being held in Australia's Perth. The latest edition of the multilateral forum, which was held for the first time in Singapore in 2016, is witnessing the participation of ministerial delegations from more than 22 countries, groups headed by senior officials from 16 countries, and six intergovernmental organizations, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

As many as 400 social and corporate leaders, policy practitioners, scholars, professionals, and media personnel from about 40 countries are also participating in the conference.

(With inputs from ANI)