An ASEAN-India Workshop themed “Blue Economy: From Concept to Action” is taking place in Nha Trang city of central Khanh Hoa province from November 24-25.

The workshop, jointly held by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, the India’s Ministry of External Affairs, and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), is initiated by Vietnam as part of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of establishment of dialogue partnership between ASEAN and India.

Speaking at the event, Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung emphasised the importance of blue economy in the growth of the world and the region.

Recalling maritime cooperation activities in ASEAN and between the bloc and its partners, Dung asked participants to make specific proposals to build a common perception in the region on protecting and preserving the marine environment and build suitable economic cooperation mechanisms to facilitate sustainable development.

Indian Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish suggested ASEAN and India step up sustainable economic collaboration on the basis of international law and each side’s advantages and potential.

He recommended conducting studies on blue economy, exploiting aquatic resources sustainably and considering the possibility of cooperation in ocean energy.

At the workshop, representatives from participating countries hailed the significance of regional and inter-regional collaboration in blue economy, especially in the context of increasingly exhausted marine resources, declining bio-diversity, increasing environmental pollution and climate change.

According to the World Bank, blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.

Source: VNA