‘Maritime security is of primordial importance to Indian Ocean Region’

MULTILATERAL ORGANISATIONS

11 MAY 2026

• Navigating maritime security in the wake of the war in West Asia will be at the top of the agenda as India chairs the 23-nation Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), with a leaders’ summit expected in 2027, says the organisation’s Secretary-General Sanjiv Ranjan.
• The IORA Summit in 2027 will also mark the organisation’s 30th anniversary.
•  In addition to raising the profile of the IORA, the government is expected to focus on the specific challenges arising from the war in West Asia, including the violence in the region and the Hormuz Strait blockades by Iran and the U.S.

Track 1.5” conference

• The Indian Ocean dialogue, which was a “track 1.5” conference for officials, academics and experts, co-hosted by the IORA and the Ministry of External Affairs and organised by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), will kick off a series of meetings expected over the coming year, as India seeks to recharge the IORA.

About IORA

• The grouping was formed in 1997 with former South African leader Nelson Mandela amongst those leading it.
• However, the IORA has not received the relevance that other regional groupings have, such as the now-defunct SAARC, BIMSTEC, SCO or Quad, over three decades.
• In addition to its salience in India’s MAHASAGAR maritime policy and Indo-Pacific strategy, the IORA is less contentious for India as Pakistan has never been admitted to its ranks.
• Pakistan had requested membership in the early 2000s, but the fact that it refused to grant India “MFN status” for trade violated the IORA charter that calls for “sovereign equality” or equal treatment of all states, according to officials.
• The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) currently comprises 23 member states, including Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.