President leaves for Abu Dhabi to attend Indian Ocean Conference

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country today (03) to attend the Indian Ocean Conference.

(IOC) to be held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The President who arrived at the Passenger Terminal of the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake to leave the country engaged in cordial discussion with the passengers.

The first Indian Ocean Conference commenced in 2016 with the objective of discussing issues of common interest and concerns to countries in the Indian Ocean region and other countries using the Indian Ocean. The Fourth Summit was held in the Maldives in 2019 and the theme was “Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges”.

The Indian Ocean Conference will be held from 4 – 5 December in Abu Dhabi and the theme of IOC 2021 is “Ecology, Economy, Epidemic”. The inaugural address will be delivered by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris and the Principal Advisor to the President Lalith Weeratunga are accompanying the President on this visit.