Penny Wong, Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced that her nation will hold the Indian Ocean Conference in February of the following year in Perth. She said that the conference will provide a forum for talking about workable answers to the main problems the area is currently facing.
“I’m pleased to confirm today that Australia will host the Indian Ocean Conference in Perth in February of next year. It’s an opportunity to discuss practical solutions for the key challenges facing the region. And I also look forward to welcoming Jaishankar to Australia,” the Australian Foreign Minister said during a press briefing on the India-Australia Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue alongside External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.
With 30 countries participating, the Indian Ocean Conference got underway in Singapore in 2016. Over the past half-decade, the Conference has become a recognized platform for regional policy consultation among participating nations. In order to discuss the potential for regional cooperation for Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), the Indian Ocean Conference aims to unite key states and major maritime partners of the region on a single forum. Wong and Jaishankar met on Tuesday for the Framework Dialogue of Foreign Ministers in New Delhi. The leaders engaged in talks aimed at furthering the strategic alliance between their respective nations.