Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan will participate in the seventh Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Perth, Australia on 9 February 2024.

Under this year’s theme “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean”, the IOC will bring together regional partners to discuss maritime issues including sustainability, climate change, and the importance of freedom and safety of navigation. The Indian Ocean plays a pivotal role in global trade, with over one third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world’s oil shipments passing through its waters.

Minister Balakrishnan co-leads the IOC Organising Committee alongside Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India Dr S Jaishankar, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia Penny Wong, and Foreign Minister of the Sultanate of Oman Sayyid Badr Bin Hamid Bin Hamood Al-Busaidi. He will be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

.     .     .     .     .

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

8 FEBRUARY 2024