External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will on Friday inaugurate a three-day conference focused on strengthening maritime trade and security among Indian Ocean Rim countries in Bhubaneshwar.
The conference, 'India and the Indian Ocean: Renewing Maritime Trade and Civilisational Linkages', will be attended by delegates from 20 nations.
According to reports, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar is scheduled to grace the valedictory session on the concluding day on Sunday.
Besides Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who is chief patron of the event, Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma is also likely to attend the conference.
Besides India, representatives from Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Thailand, Mauritius, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Madagascar, Singapore, Yemen, Oman, Iran and Cambodia are expected to attend the conference.
The conference has been organised by the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies jointly with Research and Information System for Developing Countries.