The Indian Ocean Rim Association is “investigating” Canada’s request to become an observer

Sanjiv Ranjan, General Secretary, IORA. Photo credit: Special arrangement.

Canada’s request to become an observer in the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) “is under review” at the 28th meeting of the Senior Officials Committee held in New Delhi, IORA Secretary General Sanjiv Ranjan told The Hindu on Monday (June 16, 2026).

“Canada has applied to become a dialogue partner of the organization and that is being reviewed at this meeting,” he said.

Mr. Ranjan added that member states could benefit from Canada’s potential inclusion in the group given its expertise in various maritime areas.

“They (Canada) are a major maritime power because they have huge coastal zones, they also have various initiatives and expertise in maritime safety, security and connectivity, among others, which would help other member states of the organization,” he said.

Mr Ranjan welcomed a potential peace deal between Iran and the United States that could end more than 100 days of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz. “It is a welcome thing that we can have an agreement by the end of this week as reported,” he said.

Mr Ranjan said it was imperative that countries strive to build capacity to deal with disruptions such as the crisis in West Asia. “Within the organization, we realize that disruptions of this nature (crisis in West Asia) are existential in terms of their scale and impact on our societies. Therefore, we would advocate that it is always better to create alternative resources, options to weather such changes,” he said.

Enumerating the priorities in the Indian Ocean, Mr. Ranjan said disaster response and mitigation remained a priority for IORA. He said the adverse impact of climate change would be “disproportionate” in the Indian Ocean. “That’s why we have to be ready to deal with it,” he said, adding that it is essential to build capacity to deal with these challenges.

Published – 16 Jun 2026 22:03 IST