Sustainable exploitation of aquatic resources and co-operation potential for exploiting ocean energy are among key topics being discussed at an ASEAN-India workshop in Nha Trang City in Vietnam.
The two-day workshop, which began on Friday, is titled “Blue Economy: From Concept to Action.”
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The workshop is jointly organised by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, India’s External Affairs Ministry, and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
It was initiated by Vietnam as part of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of establishment of dialogue partnership between ASEAN and India.
Speaking at the event, Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung emphasised the importance of blue economy in regional and global growth.
Recalling maritime co-operation activities in ASEAN and between the bloc and its partners, Dung asked participants to make specific proposals to build common agenda for protecting and preserving the marine environment and building suitable economic cooperation mechanisms to facilitate sustainable development.
Indian Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish also said that ASEAN and India should step up sustainable economic collaboration on the basis of international law and the advantages and potentials of each side.
He recommended conducting joint studies on blue economy, exploiting aquatic resources sustainably and considering the possibility of co-operation in ocean energy.
Other representatives from participating countries also stressed the significance of regional and inter-regional collaboration in blue economy, especially in the context of increasingly exhausted marine resources, declining biodiversity, increasing environmental pollution and climate change.
“Blue economy” refers to sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ensuring a healthy ocean ecosystem.
