The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) group has approved India’s application for observer state in the group.
The decision was taken at the meeting of the IOC Conference of ministers in Seychelles on March 6, 2020 making India the fifth observer.
With this decision, India will join China, which was made an observer in 2016, as well as the “International Organisation of the Francophonie” or the 54-nation French-speaking collective, the European Union (EU) and Malta, which were all admitted in 2017.
Significance: The decision to join the Western Indian Ocean group marks a part of the government of India’s push for greater salience in the whole Indian Ocean Region (IOR), including what is called the Western or African Indian Ocean.
About Indian Ocean Commission
The Indian Ocean Commission was created in 1982 at Port Louis, Mauritius, and later institutionalised in 1984.
The Indian Ocean Commission is a five-nation group which includes Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius and French Reunion.
The IOC is a significant for its geographical location, as the islands sit around a “key choke-point” in the Indian Ocean — the Mozambique Channel. This channel is being watched more closely as the U.S.-Iran tensions threaten the Strait of Hormuz.
