KARACHI, March 7: “Build confidence among each other and you will enjoy peace at sea,” said commander of the Turkish Naval Force Admiral Emin Murat Bilgel, the chief guest at the concluding session of the three-day 5th International Maritime Conference at the Bahria University here on Thursday.

“If you want global peace and security, you should start working for it from the sea. Developing populations depend on sea trade and the Indian Ocean is the epicenter of today’s economic world. Friendship, mutual trust and multinational cooperation between the stakeholder countries is the solution to the problems. Such conferences, attended by so many countries’ navies, are a good example of maritime cooperation,” he said.

Earlier, Dr James A. Boutilier, special adviser (policy), Maritime Forces Pacific Headquarters, Canada; Nazery Khalid, senior fellow of the maritime institute of Malaysia; and Dr Ejaz Ahmed, director of the WWF-Pakistan, gave their concluding remarks on security, economy and environment, respectively.

“Due to illicit activities, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific are becoming increasingly brittle by the day. We need to be transparent and more open to address the issues bearing down on us. So there is an urgency, putting a premium on the world navies for them to work together whether dealing with crime, drug trafficking or threat to the fisheries,” said Dr James A. Boutilier while speaking on security issues.

“Policymakers should come up with policies where all can agree and which are suitable to all in order to develop economic cooperation.

While the land divides us, the seas should unite us,” said Nazery Khalid while speaking on the issue of economy.

Dr Ejaz Ahmed spoke on environmental matters.

Retired vice admiral Asaf Humayun, director of the National Centre for Maritime Policy Research, the conference organisers, said in his vote of thanks that they would publish consolidated recommendations of all the participants of the conference.

The final day was attended by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral M. Asif Sandila also.