2nd NMF-IIMSR (Virtual) Dialogue

On 22-23 February 2021 was held the 2nd NMF-IIMSR Dialogue dedicated to the issues and the new developments in the Maritime Domain.

In November 2019, the National Maritime Foundation and the International Institute for Migration and Security Research signed an MoU and held their First Annual Bilateral Dialogue, organized by the NMF in New Delhi. As we took this dialogue into its second edition, and with the Covid-driven global travel restrictions still firmly in place, this year’s dialogue was hosted by IIMSR as a two-day webinar on 22 and 23 February 2021.

The webinar was conducted in three professional sessions in which experts from both organizations discussed different perspectives on common topics of interest.

During the first day were presented important for the maritime domain geo-strategical aspects and BRI implications for both EU and the Indo-Pacific Region. This session was followed by a discussion on the intercept of Migration and Maritime law from the EU perspective and a presentation on the challenges India is facing with the illegal migration from the sea. This session continued on the second day of the event when were presented the NMF analysis on the current maritime terror and piracy threats and the Bulgarian perspective in facing migration, ecological, and other security threats from the sea. The last professional session was dedicated to the current technological developments in the maritime domain, new threats and trends in port and national infrastructure security, maritime cyber, the application of AI and machine learning in the maritime domain, and the preparation of specialists in the field.

It has been a very interesting, fruitful and engaging event and IIMSR uses the opportunity to extend its appreciation to Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, IN (Retd), Chairman NMF, and the Former CNS, India,

Admiral Ze'ev Almog, Research Fellow at IIMSR and Former Commander in Chief of the Israli Navy,

Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & BAR, VSM, IN (Retd.) Director-General, NMF,

Flotilla Admiral Prof. Boyan Mednikarov, DSc., Rector of Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy,

Captain Sarabjeet Singh Parmar, Executive Director, and all the professional team from NMF, IIMSR, and Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, all partners, and guests who took part in the event.

The Indo-Pacific Region has an extreme economic and security importance for the European Union and what is happening there has an indisputable impact on the sustainability of the European continent.

The National Maritime Foundation is India's sole think-tank that is focussed entirely upon the maritime domain. It is the foremost resource-center for the development of strategies for the preservation, promotion, pursuit, and protection of India's maritime interests. Its research addresses a wide range of important economic, socio-economic, socio-cultural, scientific, legal, and historical issues, all of which are critical to ‘maritime India’.

We, in the IIMSR, believe that our collaboration, the exchange of knowledge, and extended common research in the fields of security, maritime cyber, blue economy, environmental issues, and new developments and technologies may have a positive and meaningful impact not only on institutional but also on national and international levels.