Senior Minister of State (SMS), Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman attended the 17th Council of Ministers Meeting (COMM) of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in Durban, South Africa on 18 October 2017. The 17th COMM reviewed the progress by IORA and discussed ways to enhance regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean Rim. The meeting also discussed cooperation under the theme of South Africa’s chairmanship “Uniting the Peoples of Africa, Asia, Australasia and the Middle East through Enhanced Cooperation for Peace, Stability and Sustainable Development”, with an emphasis on the potential of the Blue Economy.

SMS Maliki also met with ministers from India, Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand. SMS Maliki will depart South Africa for Singapore on 19 October 2017.