Mumbai, Feb 18: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Sunday emphasised on the need for concerted efforts to counter the menace of drug trafficking and gun-running in order to protect commercial sea lanes. "Gun-running and drug trafficking cartels have become the handmaidens of international terrorist groups and sea lanes must be protected from piracy and other disruptions," Mr Vajpayee said while addressing the global maritime community in Mumbai on the occasion of the Indian Fleet Review (IFR)."It is only when ocean resources and marine ecology are preserved through mutual co-operation, can we truly claim to have built international bridges of friendship," the Prime Minister said while referring to the theme of the first-ever International Fleet Review (IFR) being held in the city.
Before the address, Mr Vajpayee watched the international city parade held on the sidelines of the IFR. He said, "In Mumbai, we are at the centre of the Indian Ocean in far more than just the geographical sense. The Indian Peninsula overlooks the busy sea lanes connecting the rich West Asian ports to the economic hubs of South East Asia and Japan." He underlined the need for an important role for the Indian Navy for safer sea lanes. The participation of 15 of 24 Indian Ocean rim countries in the IFR reinforces the widespread recognition of the Indian Ocean rim countries' enormous potential for regional co-operation, the prime minister said.
"In a wide arc spanning South Africa in the west to Australia in the east, the waters of the Indian Ocean wash the shores of countries that form the Indian Ocean rim," Mr Vajpayee said.
Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
