DHAKA, Nov 23, 2022 (BSS) - Bangladesh will host the 22nd Indian Ocean Rim 
Association (IORA) Council of Ministers (COM) meeting in the capital as the 
current chair of the inter-governmental organisation comprised with 23 member 
states and 10 dialogue partners.
 
Dhaka is expecting ministerial level delegation from 16 member countries 
namely host Bangladesh, Australia, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, the 
Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, 
Thailand, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)and Yemen and one dialogue partner 
from Japan at the meeting. 
 
Besides, high-level delegations from other member states-- France, Iran, 
Kenya, Oman, Malaysia, Seychelles and Singapore and dialogue partners-- 
China, Egypt, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Russia, Turkey, the UK and the USA 
will also attend the COM. 

As the IORA chair, Bangladesh will focus on developing a mechanism to 
undertake larger projects, prevent piracy, armed robbery, unregulated fishing 
and disaster management at the COM, foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said 
at a briefing earlier this week.
 
Dhaka wants "free, inclusive, secure and peaceful" navigation for all without 
any encumbrance in the Indian Ocean region, he said.

Momen said the priority areas of the IORA are maritime safety and security, 
trade and investment facilitation, fisheries management, disaster risk 
management, tourism and cultural exchanges, academic, science and technology 
cooperation, blue economy and women's economic empowerment.

He put emphasis on making the best use of the sea in a more "regulated, 
progressive and scientific" way.

Momen said the visiting ministers and state ministers will jointly meet Prime 
Minister Sheikh Hasina during their stay here. 

The Indian Ocean Rim Association is an inter-governmental organisation which 
was established on March 7, 1997.

Bangladesh assumed the position of the IORA Chair at the 21st IORA COM 
meeting and adopted the theme of "Harnessing the opportunities of the Indian 
Ocean sustainably for inclusive development" for its Chairship from 2021-
2023.