In a maritime order, “Might is Right” has no place: Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that “Might is Right” has no place in the maritime system and that everyone should prioritize a free, open, and rules-based maritime order. This was a subdued criticism of China’s aggressive actions against its neighbors.

“Our guiding principle must be observance of international rules and agreements. We could be tempted by our limited, immediate interests to disobey or ignore established international law, but doing so would result in the collapse of our civilized marine relations.

During his keynote speech at the fourth Goa Maritime Conclave, he said, “Our common security and prosperity cannot be preserved without all of us committing to cooperatively adhering to the legitimate maritime rules of engagement.”

Fair standards of engagement, according to the minister, are essential for encouraging cooperation and making sure that no one nation has a hegemonic advantage over others.

Additionally, he advocated for the creation of international cooperative mitigation frameworks in the Indian Ocean Region to address shared marine issues including overfishing, terrorism, climate change, piracy, drug trafficking, and the freedom of trade on high seas.

Delegate in Charge of Defense of Comoros Mohamed Ali Youssoufa is in attendance at the three-day conclave, which started on Sunday. Eleven other Indian Ocean nations are represented by Chiefs of Navies/Heads of Maritime Forces/Senior representatives, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Singh emphasized that in order to meet shared marine goals and prevent self-serving interests from undermining the security and prosperity of the area, cooperation is required. In the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which was established in 1982, he emphasized the need of adhering to international maritime rules.

Regarding climate change, he said that countries may cooperate under the collaborative mitigation framework to lower carbon emissions and switch to sustainable practices. He emphasized that if all nations took on the duty of reducing emissions via investments in a green economy and the sharing of resources and technology with the less developed nations, the world could solve this issue.

The issue of over-exploitation of resources is related to illicit, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which was also mentioned by the minister of defense.

Sustainable fisheries and maritime habitats are threatened by IUU fishing. It also jeopardizes regional and global food security as well as our economic security. It is imperative that a global cooperative effort be made for the collection and exchange of surveillance data. It will assist in recognizing actors who exhibit erratic or menacing behavior, which has to be forcefully resisted, the speaker said.

The minister urged international cooperation as well as the exchange of resources and knowledge in order to implement these mitigating strategies. He went on to further clarify it by defining the distinction between mutual benefit based on the enlightened self-interest of all countries and limited national self-interest.