REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PADANG -- A total of 27 countries are participating in the 15th Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) 2016 being held in Padang, West Sumatra, on April 13-14.
The symposium is aimed at strengthening cooperation among the region's navies and improving capabilities in conducting daily operations of the navies belonging to the WPNS member countries, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Navy Admiral Ade Supandi stated here, Wednesday.
The participating states include China, Singapore, the United States, Australia, France, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Peru, New Zealand, and Canada.
The symposium is expected to reach a decision on whether Colombia and Britain should be granted the status of observer countries in the WPNS.
The delegations will also discuss the Code for Unalerted Encounters at Sea (CUES), which is aimed at preventing incidents at sea.
They are also expected to promote cooperation in officer exchange visits in a bid to foster closer relations among naval officers.
"If interactions among officers are smooth, communication will also be easier when they hold naval leadership posts," he stated.
The symposium is themed "Maritime Partnership For Stability in Western Pacific Region."
The 16th WPNS will be organized in Busan, South Korea.
On the sidelines of the symposium, Supandi is scheduled to hold separate bilateral meetings with delegations from 14 countries, including the United States, China, Japan, and Vietnam.
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