Indian State Minister for Foreign Affairs Sri M.J. Akbar has said that the participation of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe to deliver the keynote address of the Indian Ocean Conference is a great strength. He made this reference during a discussion held with the Prime Minister.

Premier Wickremasinghe who left for Singapore to deliver the keynote address at the Indian Ocean Conference was accorded to a very warm welcome on arrival by Director of the India Foundation Ram Madhav.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe met Indian State Minister for Foreign Affairs M.J. Akbar for discussions. The Indian Minister said that the keynote address made by the Sri Lankan Prime Minister was a beacon to the entire conference.
It is India Foundation that is organizing the conference this year.
Top think tanks from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Singapore – Bangladesh Institute of International & Strategic Studies, Institute of Policy Studies and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies respectively – will be partners for the meet.
The conference is being attended by 48 special speakers from 22 countries and state diplomats.
India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj addressed the conference via satellite technology. In her address she said that dire attention should be focused on security, economic, cultural and environmental issues that impact the Indian Ocean Zone.
Several sessions related to trade, investment and cultural spheres will be held tomorrow. State Leaders, politicians and scholars not only from the Indian Ocean Zone but also representing Western countries will be among the large gathering that would be participating.