Cooperation essential for security in Indian Ocean: Doval

Cooperation between nations is essential to ensure security in the Indian Ocean and to make it free from human smuggling, drug trafficking and piracy, India's National Security Adviser Ajit Kumar Doval said here Tuesday.

Delivering the keynote speech at the "International Maritime Conference: Galle Dialogue 2014", Doval said some of the East Asian countries still faced many obstacles due to the lack of maritime security, according to the Sri Lankan government's official portal.

"Plights arising from human smuggling and drug trafficking have badly affected some of the countries in East Asia even today. Piracy has taken a new version today," he was quoted as saying.

He congratulated Sri Lanka for eliminating terrorism from the island and said India too had contributed much to assure safety in the ocean.

"Joint researches between countries, bilateral relationships and proper communication would ensure the security of the region and would also assist in the growth of the economies and development of nations," Doval added.

The conference was organised by the Sri Lankan Navy for the fifth consecutive year under the aegis of the defence and urban development ministry.

Doval, who was scheduled to leave the country later Tuesday, paid a courtesy call on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Janadhipathi Mandiraya in Colombo.

President Rajapaksa and the Indian security advisor discussed bilateral cooperation and matters of mutual interest to Sri Lanka and India, the report said.

Doval was accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, Sri Lanka's Minister of External Affairs G.L. Peiris, Foreign Secretary Kshenuka Seneviratne and Secretary to the President Laith Weeratunga.