⇒ The 7th edition of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) ‘Conclave of Chiefs’ was hosted by French Navy at Paris, France from 15 to 16 November, 2021.
IONS Chair:
The IONS Chair is presently held with France.
Participants:
Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, led a two member Indian Naval delegation for this Conclave.
The Conclave of Chiefs was attended by Chiefs of Navies/ Heads of Lead Maritime Agencies of IONS nations.
Discussion:
Various bilateral interactions were conducted on the sidelines of the conclave to facilitate a greater degree of maritime cooperation and understanding between the IONS nations.
7th edition of IONS Symposium:
The 7th edition of IONS Symposium was held at Le-Reunion from 28 June to 01 July, 2021 in hybrid format due to COVID protocols. During the Symposium, it was agreed upon to conduct the extant Conclave of Chiefs at Paris.
About IONS:
- IONS was conceived by the Indian Navy in 2008 as a forum which seeks to enhance maritime co-operation among Navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region.
- IONS provides an open and inclusive platform for discussion on regionally relevant maritime issues.
- The inaugural edition of IONS was held in Feb 2008 at New Delhi, with Indian Navy as the Chair for two years.