The 7th edition of the Indian Ocean Conference will be held on February 9-10 in Perth, Australia which will bring together key stakeholders to chart the roadmap for strengthening regional cooperation.

The theme of the conference is “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean”.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan will attend the conference.

Acting High Commissioner of Australia to Bangladesh Nardia Simpson on Tuesday met Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Kha ahead of his visit to Perth for the Indian Ocean Conference.

The conference  is being organised by India Foundation in association with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Government of Australia, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore and Perth USAsia Centre.

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is scheduled to attend the Conference.

BIMSTEC Secretary General and SAARC Secretary General are also expected to join with high-level representatives from other countries.

The Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) is an annual event which debuted in Singapore in the year 2016 with over 300 delegates from 22 countries including ministers, political leaders, diplomats, strategic thinkers, academics, and media.

In over seven years the Conference has emerged as the flagship consultative forum for countries in the region.

The Conference endeavours to bring critical states and principal maritime partners of the region together on a common platform to deliberate upon the prospects of regional cooperation for Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).

Previously, the Conference has taken place in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Maldives, UAE and Bangladesh.

The 6th Indian Ocean Conference 2023 in Dhaka, was addressed by a President, a Vice President, a Prime Minister, 13 Ministers, 2 Foreign Secretaries and Heads of 3 Multilateral Organisations, and attended by over 300 social and corporate leaders, policy practitioners, scholars, professionals and media personnel from over 40 countries.