The ‘Galle Dialogue’, the two-day international maritime conference, themed “Charting the Course for Sustainable Maritime Security Cooperation” with the participation of more than eleven countries was inaugurated Friday (6) morning at Hotel Light House in Galle.
Sri Lanka Navy that has acted as a robust force performing an unparalleled role countering all forms of threats at sea in the past 30 years of terrorism, organized the timely powwow on an initiative taken by Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary Defence, Ministry of Defence.
Twenty-two delegates, specialized in naval and maritime affairs from ten countries, namely, the USA, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Singapore and South Africa are expected to contribute to this two-day dialogue that commenced in the scenic port capital of Galle.
Mr Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary Defence as the prime-mover behind the arrangement delivered the inaugural address at Friday (6) morning’s inaugural sessions. Secretary to President Mr Lalith Weerathunga, adding further significance to the dialogue launched the website www.galledialogue.com on the occasion in the presence of all the delegates. Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, Commander of the Navy welcomed the participants as chief coordinators of the programme.
Professor James Clad, Senior Research Fellow for South Asia, National Defence University, USA and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Asia Pacific Security Affairs (2007 – 2009) contributed to the inaugural session, delivering the keynote address.
Secretaries to Ministries of External Affairs, Ports and Aviation and Highways and Road Development, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Air Force Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Director General Sri Lanka Coast Guard, High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Defence Attaches, diplomats, Government officials and Sri Lankan scholars in maritime field attended the inauguration.
During the two-day sessions, participating scholars and experts in maritime and naval affairs are expected to present separate papers covering relevant topics such as ‘The Changing Maritime Threat Environment of the Indian Ocean’, ‘Exploitation of the Sea for Illegal Activities by Non-State Actors’, ‘Role of Indian Ocean Powers’, ‘Role of Pakistan in Maintaining Regional Maritime Security’, ‘Role of External Powers’, ‘Future Trends of Maritime Activities and Sri Lanka’s Potentials’, ‘India, Maritime Concerns in the Indian Ocean and Challenges’, ‘Exploitation of Oceanic Resources and Opportunities for Sri Lanka’, ‘Anti Piracy Operations in the Indian Ocean, Efforts and Lessons Learnt’ and ‘Sustainable Support for Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka’s Experience and the Way Ahead’, etc. Those thematic contributions are to be presented respectively by Admiral (Retd) Arun Prakash, Chairman, National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi and former Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Dr. Rohan Gunarathna, Professor of Security Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Rear Admiral D.R Thomas, Deputy Chief of Royal Australian Navy, Commodore Jamil Akhtar, Pakistan Navy, Brigadier General Stanley Osterman, Director J-5, US Pacific Command, Hawaii, Admiral (Retd) W.K.J Karannagoda, Secretary to Ministry of Highways and Road Development and former Commanders of the Sri Lanka Navy, Dr. W Lawrence S Prabhakar, Associate Professor, Madras Christian College, Chennai, India, Mr. Chris Dharmakirthi, Director, Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA), Sri Lanka, Captain Chris Chambers, US Navy, Chief of Staff, Combined Maritime Forces and Rear Admiral J.S.K Colombage, Commander Eastern Naval Area, Sri Lanka Navy.
With the end of the Sri Lankan conflict and the dawn of peace, the country is fast transforming itself and taking its rightful place on the globe as a maritime hub, along with cooperative regional actors and others at international levels. The event first of this kind after the War will explore possibilities of enhancing transnational cooperation.
Further, the country’s maritime and trading traditions that date back to ancient tomes enable us to be an ideal host for a gathering of naval strategists from major maritime countries or those highly depend upon sea-born commerce in the Indian Ocean. This conference has been organized on those lines, according to the organizers in the Ministry of Defence.
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