MoU signed between Coast Guards of India and Indonesia to boost maritime relations

MoU signed between Coast Guards of India and Indonesia to boost maritime relations

The Indian Coast Guard has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indonesian Coast Guard via video conferencing, in an effort to boost maritime relations and comprehensive strategic partnership.

Key Points:

• The new agreement has been signed with the objective of improving the collaborative and cooperative engagement in the domains of marine pollution response, maritime law enforcement, maritime search and rescue.
• The MoU will also include the exchange of information, which will assist in fighting the transnational maritime crimes, and enable coordinated search and rescue operation in addition to the capacity and capability building activities.
• The MoU will also act as a channel to cooperate, control and respond to drug trafficking, illegal migration, piracy incidents, smuggling and other such maritime crimes and help in ensuring the security and safety of the region.
• Both the Coast Guards will also ensure the protection of the marine environment within the waters of each country.
• The relations between India and Indonesia were elevated to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ level in May 2018 when the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India visited Indonesia.
• The emphasis on maritime security was brought to the front with the Shared Vision of Maritime Cooperation between India and Indonesia in the Indo-Pacific region.