President Wickremesinghe underlined the importance of ports and their role in the evolving global trade landscape, emphasising Sri Lanka’s strategic location and the development of key ports like Colombo, Trincomalee, and Hambantota. He urged a long-term perspective on these developments and their global implications.
The President also discussed the changing dynamics in sports and noted that various nations from this region are expanding their influence in cricket and football. He emphasised the interconnectedness between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Delivering a keynote address at the 11th edition of the Galle Dialogue and International Maritime Conference at the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel today (12) under the theme ‘Emerging New Order in the Indian Ocean, President Wickremesinghe proposed that Sri Lanka should adopt the ASEAN outlook of the Indo-Pacific as two distinct oceans and prioritise freedom of navigation and undersea cables in the Indian Ocean.
He acknowledged that the emerging order could rapidly change due to global events and emphasised the need for wise leadership and diplomacy in addressing evolving challenges.
The President acknowledged that the emerging order could rapidly change due to global events and emphasised the need for wise leadership and diplomacy in addressing evolving challenges.
President Wickremesinghe’s speech provided a comprehensive perspective on the Indian Ocean’s unique place in global politics, culture, and economics and its role in shaping the emerging new order in the region.
The president pointed out that the focus should primarily be on the Indian Ocean and the surrounding area. President Wickremesinghe highlighted the uniqueness of the Indian Ocean as a civilization rather than a construct, emphasising its rich history, diverse cultures, and religious significance.
He then discussed various global constructs, such as the Asia Pacific, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Indo-Pacific, and how they differ from the Indian Ocean’s cultural and historical context. He stressed that the Indian Ocean represents a political entity, given its history and role in recognising non-European sectors of the world as colonialism collapsed.
