United Nations, Aug 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level UN Security Council open debate on Monday on maritime security that will be attended virtually by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken among others.

The open debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security: A Case for International Cooperation' is one of the three signature events being hosted by India during its month-long Presidency of the powerful 15-nation UN body in August.

Also Read | Muharram Moon Sighting 2021, Chand Raat Live News Updates: Announcement on Islamic New Year in India and Iran Today.

Modi will chair the debate via video conferencing and the meeting is expected to be attended by President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who is also African Union President, several heads of state and government of member states of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and high-level briefers from the UN system and key regional organisations.

"Modi would be the first Indian prime minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate," the Prime Minister's Office said.

Also Read | UK High Court Grants Nirav Modi Permission To Appeal Against Extradition to India.

The open debate will focus on ways to effectively counter maritime crime and insecurity, and strengthen coordination in the maritime domain.

The UN Security Council has discussed and passed resolutions on different aspects of maritime security and maritime crime, the PMO noted.

However, this will be the first time that maritime security will be discussed in a holistic manner as an exclusive agenda item in such a high level open debate, it added.

"Given that no country alone can address the diverse aspects of maritime security, it is important to consider this subject in a holistic manner in the United Nations Security Council. A comprehensive approach to maritime security should protect and support legitimate maritime activities, while countering traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain," it said.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti had said last week that issues such as piracy, use of sea to conduct crimes, illicit trafficking in narcotic and psychotropic substances, trafficking in persons and illicit firearms and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing have implications for the livelihood and security of coastal communities, international trade, energy security and the global economy.

"Safeguarding the legitimate uses of the oceans and the lives of the people at sea requires a comprehensive approach that ensures our common prosperity and security while countering the threat of hostile or illegal acts within the maritime domain,” Tirumurti had said.

The Prime Minister's Office said the oceans have played an important part in India's history right from the time of the Indus Valley civilisation, it noted, adding that based on the country's civilisational ethos that see the seas as an enabler of shared peace and prosperity, Modi had put forward the vision of SAGAR - an acronym for "Security and Growth for all in the Region" in 2015.

This vision focuses on cooperative measures for sustainable use of the oceans, and provides a framework for a safe, secure, and stable maritime domain in the region.

In 2019, at the East Asia Summit, this initiative was further elaborated through the Indo-Pacific Oceans' Initiative (IPOI) with a focus on seven pillars of maritime security including Maritime Ecology; Maritime Resources; Capacity Building and Resource Sharing; Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Science, Technology and Academic Cooperation; and Trade Connectivity and Maritime Transport, it said.

India will host signature events on maritime security, counter-terrorism and peacekeeping. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will chair an open debate on August 18 on technology and peacekeeping under the overarching theme of ‘Protecting the Protectors'. He will also chair a high-level event on August 19 to discuss UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' report on ISIL.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)