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UAE’s role in Indian Ocean bloc lauded

He lauded the contribution of the UAE since joining the grouping in 1999, and said the association can benefit from the country’s expertise on a range of issues from trade, renewable energy, tourism and maritime security.
The UAE has worked towards liberalising trade in the bloc and has helped in dismantling barriers to investment for balanced economic growth in the region. It has helped in curbing maritime piracy and has hosted two conferences to bring stakeholders together for a permanent solution to the problem. These efforts have borne fruit and pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia are down 50 per cent when compared to the same period last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau. Bhagirath confirmed the United States has shown interest to join as a dialogue partner. He, however, denied that Iran has opposed the idea.
“This is media speculation. There is agreement among members on the US joining as a partner.’’
He also did not rule out talks between the US and Iranian officials on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting on Friday over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
“You could call it track 2 diplomacy. It’s an opportunity for the two delegations to start talking.’’
The secretary-general, however, admitted that the grouping is not doing enough to bolster trade and cooperation among countries. The IOR-ARC’s achievements are, at best, modest, but the potential for growth remains large. “This is a an apolitical association to further the cause of trade and investment. Tourism and fishing are also priority areas, so is education.’’
The 19 countries of the association have a population of 2 billion and combined GDP of $6.5 trillion, which is expected to rise to $ 9 trillion by 2016.
“We are discussing ways to relax visa rules for business delegations among member countries and business to business cooperation is being encouraged.’’
allan@khaleejtimes.com

• India