150 delegates including high-level representatives of 25 countries are coming to Dhaka to attend the Sixth International Indian Ocean Conference. Foreign Minister of India S Jaishankar and US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Afrin Akhtar will attend this conference also.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate this two-day conference on Friday (May 12). The conference will bring together key stakeholders in an enlightened gathering to develop a roadmap to strengthen the Indian Ocean region under the theme of 'Peace, Prosperity and Partnership for a Sustainable Future'.
The President of Mauritius, Vice President of Maldives, Foreign Ministers of India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bahrain and Singapore and ministerial representatives of Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Madagascar will participate in this conference.
Apart from this, Indian Foreign Minister and US State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary Afrin Akhtar is also coming to Bangladesh. According to diplomatic sources, US Assistant Minister Afrin Akhtar will arrive in Dhaka today.
Meanwhile, their visit has created a lot of interest in the diplomatic arena. However, it has not yet been confirmed that they have any program outside the conference.
There is no bilateral meeting with the foreign minister of India said foreign minister Abdul Momen.
However, the foreign minister hinted that there may be a courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the sideline of the conference in some form.
In a press conference on Wednesday, the foreign minister said that by organizing this conference, it is expected that the partnership with Bangladesh and the countries along the Indian Ocean will be strengthened in the regional political sphere. In view of the changing geo-political and geo-economic realities, the position of Bangladesh as a special partner in the international arena will be consolidated by organizing the conference, said the foreign minister.
Momen said, from the discussion of this conference, the participating countries will get an idea of what kind of steps they will take in the future in view of the ongoing global events and it will be helpful for Bangladesh to take the necessary decisions to deal with various crisis situations and overcome them.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam at the press conference Secretary of Maritime Affairs Wing Khorshed Alam and Foreign Service Academy Rector Mashfi Binte Sams along with senior officials of the Ministry were present. It was informed in the press conference that the conference will be held on May 12 and 13 at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka under the joint initiative of the India Foundation, an internationally renowned research institute affiliated to the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs of India.