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Excellencies,
Oceans provide us with the wealth of resources on which we rely for our survival and development. The economic value of ocean assets is around $24 trillion.
The report of the Secretary-General on oceans and the law of the sea indicates that 80% of world trade takes place by sea, which is the main means of international trade and a fundamental driver in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Trade in oceans-based goods and services exports are estimated at $2.5 trillion.
Enhancing maritime security is therefore essential for international peace and security, interconnectivity, blue economy, and free trade.
Excellencies,
Piracy and armed robbery against ships remains a major threat to maritime security.
Transnational criminal groups, such as those in the Gulf of Aden, on the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea, are involved in multiple illegal activities, including drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, migrant-smuggling, trafficking in persons, piracy, and armed robbery and, in some cases, terrorist activity.
The link between transnational organized crime at sea and the threat that it poses to the stability, security and economies of both coastal and landlocked States is visible and a matter of grave concern.
To meet the challenges posed by this large-scale phenomenon, it is crucial that we develop a robust regulatory framework and a coordinated and comprehensive approach at the national, regional and international levels to address it.
The adoption of resolutions 2383 (2017) and 2442 (2018) by the Security Council made important contributions to dealing with challenge of transnational organized crime at sea, specifically off the coast of Somalia and the affected coastal areas in the Gulf of Guinea.
These resolutions, along with other multilateral treaties, embody some of the important steps that the international community should take to prevent and counteract maritime crimes and maintain international peace and security.
Excellencies,
Pakistan has a strategic stake in peaceful navigation and security of the Indian Ocean region. Our interests emanate from over 1000 kilometers long coastline, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of around 290,000 square kilometers, Karachi port and the newly built deep seaport of Gwadar.
Pakistan is an important stakeholder in the Indian Ocean security framework, which includes counter-piracy as well as human trafficking and narcotics smuggling.
We are proud that Pakistan Navy continues to maintain a robust security posture along Pakistan's coast and in the regional seas, in order to prevent nefarious elements from illicit activities in the maritime domain.
The Pakistan Navy has always been appreciated for its efforts to promote peace and security. Among others, it has been actively participating in the Combined Task Forces 150 and 151 in the larger interest of the international community and regional maritime security.
Since 2013, Pakistan is operating a Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre (JMICC). It gathers and shares all required information among all the national stakeholders for maritime domain awareness.
Our Navy has also provided valuable assistance at the high seas to vessels in distress, including during anti-piracy operations, and has extended humanitarian assistance to regional countries on several occasions.
Excellencies,
Pakistan's Gwadar Port occupies a strategic location overlooking the Strait of Hormuz and the North Arabian Sea.
As part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), it places Pakistan at a point of convergence, linking active sea-lanes to landlocked Central Asian Republics for shipment of oil, coal and agricultural products.
The success of the CPEC and the Gwadar Port project is linked to the safe and secure maritime environment in the Indian Ocean region in general and the Arabian Sea in particular.
Therefore, keeping the Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) open and protecting Pakistan's coast as well as the ports of Karachi, Bin-Qasim, Ormara and Gwadar is of outmost importance for my country.
Accordingly, a special organization known as Task Force-88 (TF-88) has been created and assigned the duty for the seaward security of Gwadar Port and protection of associated sea lanes against both conventional and non-traditional threats.
Excellencies,
The Indian Ocean represents an increasingly important avenue for global trade. It hosts international maritime traffic that includes half of the world's containerized cargo, one-third of its bulk cargo, and two-thirds of its oil shipments.
Yet, emerging issues, ranging from piracy and territorial water disputes to global environmental pressures on coastal and marine resources, pose considerable challenges for policymakers.
The Indian Ocean offers promising potential for mutual cooperation and collaboration. But geo-strategic competition and the pursuit of military dominance by some States have gravely jeopardized that potential.
In particular, India's belligerent and aggressive policies – currently driven by an extremist Hindutva ideology – pose an immediate and pervasive threat to international and regional peace and security.
In pursuance of its hegemonic designs, India has nuclearized the Indian Ocean and continues to induct advanced weapons systems and naval delivery platforms. In light of these developments, Pakistan will continue to take all necessary measures to maintain full spectrum deterrence and ensure its national security on land, in the air and at the sea.
The international community needs be cognizant of the fact that any military conflict in South Asia could endanger stability in a region that is critical for global trade and global peace and security.
We are also concerned at the politicization of the law of the sea and UNCLOS by some member states in recent years. When it comes to pacific settlement of maritime disputes, we should fully respect efforts made by the countries concerned to resolve these and thus safeguard peace and stability. The countries outside the region should respect the negotiations or the process through which the parties concerned want to resolve such issues.
Excellencies,
Pakistan recognizes the importance of safeguarding the world's ocean and international trade through enhanced maritime security.
We are ready to cooperate and collaborate with other friendly nations and partners in the region and around the world, to realize this goal for the mutual benefit of all humanity.
I thank you.