‘No country can hope to emerge as an island of progress in a sea of under-development. Our national efforts to achieve development and progress will be effective if in parallel we succeed in developing an integrated and harmonious regional space’, the Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam, said yesterday at the opening of the 27th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) at the Sofitel Hotel, Flic en Flac.
Dr Ramgoolam called for a new impetus to drive regional cooperation through the IOC, especially with Madagascar getting closer to come out of its political crisis and return back to a state of constitutional order following the signature of the roadmap. ‘We know that the way leading to economic development requires political stability’, the Prime Minister said, stressing that if Madagascar returns to political stability and economic growth, the whole region will come out revitalised.
The Prime Minister identified food security and climate change as two specific areas of focus for action on the part of IOC. On a wider scope, he said, it is essential that national efforts receive support through sub-regional, regional and international cooperation.
The institutional structures of IOC are now in place and Member States should continue to develop economic, industrial and commercial interdependencies and to strengthen our common position at the level of international bodies, Dr Ramgoolam said. According to him, this strategy has to take into consideration the effects of globalisation on our respective economies. ‘Despite its perverse effects, globalisation constitutes a chance for industrial development and commercial growth. We have to align the dynamics of the Commission with that of globalisation’, he stated.
Dr Ramgoolam also announced that Mauritius has proposed the name of a Mauritian to occupy the post of Secretary General of the IOC next year.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Dr. A. Boolell, the chairperson of the 27th Session of the IOC meeting, said that political consolidation with focus on peace and regional security has been at the heart of his action as chair of the IOC. Regional integration has enabled the IOC to consolidate ties with other regional organisations, reinforce dialogue with the European Union especially strengthen dialogue for regional integration and ensure the opening of a wider market for IOC’s Member States, he said.
Cooperation and regional integration does not solely depend on the will of countries. Economic operators, different non-state actors and the civil society should be able to actively participate in the common endeavour as the development of the region should be based on a participatory approach, added Dr Boolell.
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