International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Dr Naledi Pandor, will take part in the 23rd Council of Ministers (COM) meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
The meeting will be held in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, 11 October 2023.
According to a Department of International Relations and Cooperation statement, the theme will focus on strengthening regional architecture and reinforcing the Indian Ocean identity.
“It is expected that the COM meeting will take stock of the progress that the association has made since the last meeting in Bangladesh and discuss future initiatives,” said the department on Monday.
Sri Lanka will assume the role of IORA Chair from 2023 to 2025, taking over from Bangladesh, while India will become the Vice-Chair.
“IORA is an economic cooperative community of coastal and island states whose shores are washed by the Indian Ocean. It is a charter-based regional multilateral organisation that is collegial in nature.
“IORA seeks to build and expand understanding and mutually beneficial cooperation through a consensus-based, evolutionary and non-intrusive approach,” said the department.
The department believes that cooperation among IORA member states is based on sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful coexistence, and mutual benefit.
“South Africa views IORA as an important platform for the articulation of our foreign policy, which upholds the importance of multilateralism and global collaboration in resolving the intricate challenges facing the world,” it said.