Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi on Tuesday delivered an address to the 7th meeting of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), held on Reunion Island, a French department in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.
The commander said the Iranian Navy will do its utmost to pave the way for regional interaction by opening the ‘Coordination Center on International Cooperation for Maritime Security’ in Chabahar, located in southeast Iran.
Highlighting the Iranian Navy’s activities as the rotating president of the IONS, Rear Admiral Khanzadi said Iran has stepped up efforts for coordination among the IONS members, held meetings of the maritime security task force, and convened meetings on joint naval exercises.
He also noted that Iran’s Navy has compiled the first ‘IONS tactical book’ focusing on plans for the fight against piracy, sharing of information, and addressing natural disasters.
Iran is a permanent member of IONS and has held its 3-year presidency since 2018.
The IONS is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region by providing an open and inclusive forum for discussion of regionally relevant maritime issues.
The IONS has 24 members, including Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, France, Australia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Seychelles, Thailand, Timor Leste, and the UK.
There are also 8 observers, namely China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Russia and Spain.