Mobor (Goa) Goa Chief Minister and former union defense minister Manohar Parrikar said that the strategies about the oceans need to be properly evolved in co-relation with many other countries which has common interest in the ocean and trade.
Parrikar was addressing the inaugural of three day long conference on maritime security organized by “Forum for Integrated National Security” (FINS) in presence of union minister of state for external affairs M J Akbar in South Goa today.
“The strategies about ocean needs to be properly evolved in co relation with many other countries which has common interest in the ocean and the trade. And this needs to be evolved over period of time,” Parrikar said.
He stated that there are times when few countries try to show their influence. “But if world stays together various legal provisions also can be enforced or even the countries which are aggressive can be told that your economy also can be impacted,” he added.
“In my last visit to Shangrila I had mentioned this aspect that threatening a area actually can boomerang, it can economically threaten the person who is trying to raise the threat,” the former union defense minister said.
He said that the trade which is moving through Indian ocean is safe as we have managed to control Somalian pirates. “There are no incidences which are recently reported but you cannot completely ignore the threat,” he said.
Parrikar said that ocean is very important aspect of humanity and when we talk about security in the ocean, everyone thinks security means military security.
“When I was thinking about the security strategies, I realized that ocean has much more problem then we think,” the chief minister said.
Parrikar said that more than 60 per cent of the world trade passes through Indian ocean and equally important is the western coast of India opposite which there are various threats which are coming up and subsiding also.
“While it is also a military aspect we should also look into the aspect of threat to the coastal cities due to the rising ocean level. Island cities will not exist if current climate change continues with the same pace,” he said.
Parrikar said that the ocean rising is happening rapidly that will threaten the coasts nd also islands inside.
“This is one threat which probably we will not be able to come out with solution to but we can definitely push for better climatic solutions. There are reasons with depleting coastal fish catch, the fishing resource will also be much complex,” he added.
