Galle Dialogue 2015 being held in the port city of Galle

The International Maritime Conference, “Galle Dialogue 2015”, organized by the Sri Lanka Navy under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, got underway in the port city of Galle today, 23rd November 2015. Thirteen (13) papers are scheduled to be presented at the two-day dialogue held under the theme, “Secure Seas through Greater Maritime Cooperation: Challenges and Way Forward”.

The Prime Minister Hon. Ranil Wickremesinghe graced the occasion as the chief guest and delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session. The welcome remarks were made by the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne. Four Naval Chiefs are among the distinguished participants that include 109 foreign delegates and 107 local counterparts.

The first session of the Galle Dialogue commenced its deliberations with Rear Admiral JO Olutoyin of the Nigerian Navy at the Head Table as the moderator. The first paper was presented by the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Admiral RK Dhowan on “Significance of Developing Mutually Beneficial Architectures and Partnerships for Maritime Security”. The second paper was presented by Rear Admiral Gu Xiangbing of the PLA Navy on “Importance of a Collective Approach to Maritime Security and Mutual Prosperity”. Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd) of India moderated the second session in the afternoon. Rear Admiral Charles Williams of the US Navy presented the first paper on “US Perspective on Developing Cooperative Strategies for Maritime Security”. The second paper was presented by Captain Naoya Hoshi of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force on “Mitigating Challenges to Maritime Security through Proactive Collaboration". Rear Admiral Muhumad Amjad Khan Niaz of the Pakistan Navy presented the third paper on "Challenges and Opportunities for an Inclusive and Transparent Security Structure for the Indian Ocean..