Sri Lanka is set to take over as the Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and will host the Council of Ministers meeting in Colombo on October 11, 2023. The meeting will see the participation of Foreign Ministers from various member countries, including India, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Iran, Malaysia, and South Africa. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry will chair the Council, succeeding Bangladesh. The Council will discuss cooperation in priority areas such as trade, investment, maritime safety, security, fisheries management, disaster risk management, and the blue economy. Sri Lanka aims to steer the IORA for the next two years.