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Sri Lanka attends 4th Counter Piracy Conference in Dubai

The 4th UAE Counter PiracyConference was held from 29th – 30th October 2014 in Dubai.This International Conference was attended by more than 600 delegates, includingrepresentatives from over 50 government and non-government organizations andsenior industry and business executives. Public and private sector participantsfrom across the region and around the world created opportunities for a productivedialogue to counter maritime piracy.

The Sri Lankan delegation consisted of AdmiralD.W.A.S. Dissanayake, Advisor to the President on Maritime Affairs, Mr. AbdulRaheem, Consul General of Sri Lanka in Dubai, Mr. Sumith Dassanayake, Director, Middle East Division of the Ministry of External Affairs and Air Vice MarshalP.B. Premachandra, General Manager, Maritime Division, Rakna Arakshaka LankaLtd.

During the Conference, Statements weredelivered by Foreign Ministers and senior government officials, which highlightedthe support of the international community for counter- piracy efforts at sea and on land.

The Sri Lankan delegation appreciated theinitiatives taken by the UAE Government and reiterated that Sri Lanka willsupport the regional and global initiatives taken by partner countries for theenhancement of maritime security and pledged its commitment to work together tocombat threats to maritime security.

The Sri Lankan delegation stated that SriLanka has a unique model placed in the form of public/private partnership modelto fight piracy in the Indian Ocean. SriLanka will continue to play a role in anti-piracy operations until it iscompletely eradicated from the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, in order to providesafe passage for the sea lanes of communication.

The Conference noted that while the number of incidentsof Somali based piracy has fallen significantly, the economic costs remainshigh at more than US$ 3 billion and the human cost to seafarers and theirfamilies is severe. The participantsagreed that the international community must continue to play a vital role in fosteringdebate and finding solutions to this very serious issue.