Indian Ocean Naval Symposium


The Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, commonly known as IONS, are a series of biennial meetings among the littoral states of the Indian Ocean region. It provides a forum to increase maritime security cooperation, providing a forum for discussion of regional maritime issues and promote friendly relationships among the member nations.

History

The IONS a regional forum of Indian Ocean littoral states, represented by their Navy chiefs, was initiated and launched by India in February 2008.

Role

IONS is a security construct for the Indian Ocean region which is similar to the Western Pacific Naval Symposium. It is a voluntary initiative among the navies and maritime security agencies of the member nations. In addition to the symposiums, numerous other activities like workshops, essay competitions and lectures are also held under the umbrella of the organization.

Members and observers

The 24 member nations of the IONS are grouped into four sub-regions.

Members

Observers

There are eight states with observer status: China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Netherlands, Russia and Spain.

List of symposiums