A lecture on Indian Ocean security, delivered by Ms. Nilanthi Samaranayake, a visiting expert from the US Institute of Peace, at an event hosted by the Centre for Research on Bhutanese Society (CRBS) in Thimphu on September 26, 2024.
Welcoming the guest participants Mr. Achyut Bhandari, Co-Founder of CRBS, highlighted the importance of security in the Indian Ocean for Bhutan and other SAARC and BIMSTEC member countries. (Retd.) Ambassador Sonam T. Rabgye, Chairperson of CRBS and the lecture moderator, spoke on how landlocked countries like Bhutan and Nepal can collaborate with other countries in the region to contribute to Indian Ocean security as they are heavily depended on it for their maritime trade.
Ms. Samaranayake's lecture covered the roles of both large and small nations in global maritime affairs, focusing on the US’s interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Indian Ocean. She also discussed the role of India and other hinterland and littoral countries in ensuring security in the region. She observed that as the largest power in South Asia, USA looks towards India as a leader in promoting security in Indian Ocean that has largely remained without major problems so far. Both India and USA have strengthened their bilateral cooperation for this purpose in recent years. With its global interests, USA cannot be present at all strategic locations and so it forges partnerships with countries like India and the QUAD group consisting of Australia and Japan apart from them.
Interesting discussion took place after Samaranayake's lecture as she interacted with some members of the audience while responding to and commenting on their questions and viewpoints .
In closing the discussion, the moderator said that the key takeaway from the lecture is for Bhutan to undertake research studies and collaborate with other countries in the region on projects related to Indian Ocean security in the future .
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