Indian Ocean Naval Symposium 

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The 7th edition of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) Conclave of Chiefs was hosted by the French Navy in Paris from 15 – 16 Nov 21. 

 About IONS

• It is a forum to increase maritime cooperation among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.

• The inaugural edition of IONS was held in Feb 2008 at New Delhi, with Indian Navy as the Chair for two years

• IONS includes 24 nations that permanently hold territory that abuts or lies within the Indian Ocean and 8 observer nations: 

Other Important Groupings Associated with IOR

• Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC)

• Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)

• Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)

• Information Fusion Centre for the Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR)

• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

Importance of Indian Oceanic Region

• The Indian Ocean holds 16.8% of the world’s proven oil reserves and 27.9% of proven natural gas reserves.

• Around 80 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade passes through the choke points of this ocean

• Region to counterbalance the increasing presence of China in the region.