Somalia formally joins Indian Ocean Rim Association

Somalia officially became member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association Wednesday following its signing of the charter during the Council of Ministers meeting in Bali, Indonesia this which concluded Wednesday.

The signing of the charter formally concluded the country’s application process for membership to the 21 member bloc which started in October 2014.

“The signature means that the Federal Republic of Somalia is formally a member of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) which promotes trade and diverse cooperation in many fields including Maritime Safety and Security, Trade and Investment Facilitation, Fisheries Management and Tourism and Cultural Exchanges,” IORA said in a statement Wednesday.

Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Omer Abdusalam who signed the charter on behalf of Somalia said through the membership Somalia will endeavor to strengthen relations further whilst establishing and nurturing new relations with other valuable partners in all areas of mutual interest.

“Somalia as a member State seeks to both contribute and benefit from the partnerships within IORA to advance Somalia’s great economic potential both at sea and in land,” said Omer in a statement.

The IORA is comprised of 21 members who share the Indian Ocean waters. The bloc’s main objective is to promote the sustained growth and balanced development of the region and of the Member States, and to create common ground for regional economic co-operation.

Priority areas include Maritime Safety & Security, Trade & Investment Facilitation, Fisheries Management, Disaster Risk Management, Academic, Science & Technology, Tourism & Cultural Exchanges and Gender Empowerment.

Japan, US, UK, China, Egypt and France are dialogue members to the bloc.