Economy minister heads UAE delegation to IORA's 14th meeting

Minister of Economy Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri headed the UAE delegation to the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)14th Council of Ministers Meeting which was concluded in Perth, Australia on Thursday.
The 3-day meeting discussed areas of priority to IORA member countries, including maritime security and safety in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR); trade and investment facilitation; fisheries management; disaster risk reduction; academic, science and technology cooperation; tourism and cultural exchanges, as well as tapping the vast potential of the 'blue economy'.
Al Mansouri said the UAE will assume IORA's Vice Chair status between 2017 and 2019.
"Attending IORA's14th Council of Ministers is part of the UAE's international cooperation commitment, in line with the vision of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum," he said.
Al Mansouri noted that as a peace loving country, the UAE calls for collective international effort to combat maritiume piracy which poses a threat to the maritime security, particularly in the Indian Ocan.
On renewable energy, he said efforts were underway to implement recommendations of the 1st IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Forum which was held in Abu Dhabi last January.
Al Mansouri said his speech at the meeting focused on the need to enhance cultural and tourism exchange among the member countries.
He thanked the Australian government for hosting the successful event.
IORA was formally launched on 6-7 March 1997. Its activities include several on-going topical projects and work programs conducted by member countries with shared interests, all of which are under the umbrella of 3 separate working groups, namely; the Working Group on Trade and Investment (WGTI), the Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum (IORBF), and the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG).
IORA member countries include UAE, Oman, Yemen, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Mozamique, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Seychelles The countries with the status of dialogue partners are: Egypt, France, Japan, China, United Kingdom and the United States.