During 7 - 8 May 2012, the Thai delegation headed by Mrs. Rattikul Chansuriya, Deputy Director - General of the Department of International Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand attended the the 2^nd Bi-Annual meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR - ARC) at the Intercontinental Hotel in Port Louis Mauritius. The meeting of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) was opened by the Honourable Dr. Arvin Boolell, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade of the Republic of Mauritius, who delivered the Keynote Address and also inaugurated the premises of the IOR-ARC Secretariat in Cybercity.

Minister Boolell welcomed delegates to Mauritius and expressed his delight that there was renewed interest in the activities of IOR-ARC. The Minister highlighted the need for IOR-ARC to engage in projects that would impact positively on the lives of the millions of people in the region and reiterated the priority areas identified by the Council of Ministers at its last meeting such as Maritime Security and Safety within the IOR region, Trade and Investment Facilitation, Fisheries Management, Disaster Risk Reduction, Academic and Science and Technology Cooperation and Tourism Promotion and Cultural Exchanges.

 During the meeting, the Thai delegation expressed Thailand's willingness and enthusiasm in working with other member states in fulfilling the goals under the IOR-ARC framework.

 Further information on the IOR - ARC may be found at http://www.iorarc.org