India, Seychelles sign pact on information sharing in maritime security
India, Seychelles sign pact on information sharing in maritime security: Six agreements were struck between India and Seychelles in key areas, including maritime security and the sharing of white shipping information, which would allow the two countries to exchange data on the identity and movement of non-military commercial vessels.
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More About the Maritime Security MoU:
The countries will collaborate to promote maritime safety in the Indian Ocean region, according to the MoU. The safety provisions will be based on the SAGAR initiative – Security and Growth for All in the Region. With this, they will be able to correlate better and can share information in a more compressed way.
More About The Agreements:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cyber security cooperation was signed by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-in), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Seychelles Department of Information Communications Technology.
Significance of These Agreements:
It is essential for India to sign this agreement with Seychelles to learn about the maritime safety measures being implemented in this region. The Western Indian Ocean is governed by the “Maritime Security architecture”.
The Indian Ocean Commission is in charge of implementing this architecture. The IOC is supported by Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre, RCOC, and other countries like Djibouti, Comoros, Kenya, Mauritius, France, Seychelles, and Madagascar. India has no maritime agreements related to this part of the Indian Ocean with these countries except Seychelles. Even if it does, those agreements do not talk about sharing information! Thus, it is essential to sign the MoU with the country.
About Indian Ocean Commission:
The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) is an intergovernmental body created in 1984 to protect the interests of the Western Indian Ocean islands. It consists of Madagascar, Comoros, La Réunion (French overseas territory), Mauritius and Seychelles. The Commission has five observers — India, China, European Union (EU), Malta and International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).
Note: India is only an observer at the Indian Ocean Commission; not a full member.