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Closing remarks by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas at the 4th Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum

European External Action Service (EEAS)

21.11.2025
Brussels, Belgium
EEAS Press Team

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Thank you very much, dear ministers, dear colleagues. It has been a very fruitful day.

We come from two different hemispheres and four different continents, but our exchanges today show how we are facing similar challenges that require joint engagement to address them. Maritime security [was a] topic central to today's discussions. It is a shared responsibility, not a competitive venture. Now more than ever before we need to align our capacities and regional strategies towards a secure, a sustainable and inclusive maritime future.

Our approach rests on trust and transparency and interoperability. These are the foundation of maritime cooperation. This is the European Union's credo, and today's discussions show that it resonates strongly with our partners.

We all agree that that maritime domain awareness is the backbone of collective security. This is an area where the European Union has already been engaging successfully with partners across both oceans. This cooperation will continue focusing more and more on new and complex challenges, including the protection of critical maritime infrastructure - by that I mean the undersea cables, the pipelines and the ports that sustain our global connectivity.

I will seek to establish a new structured initiative to enhance our cooperation on protection of critical maritime infrastructure. In view of the growing important of Maritime governance, we concluded that it is essential to keep on protecting international legal norms so as to contribute to their enforcement.

At the same time, we must step up our joint response to hybrid and cyber threats. These are growing in sophistication and are targeting both our critical systems as well as the trust and stability that underpin our societies. Strengthening cyber resilience, sharing information and developing coordinated mechanisms to prevent, deter and respond to attacks, will remain our highest priorities.

Enhancing prosperity and resilience demands that we diversify supply chains and strengthen economic security so that trade remains secure, sustainable and fair. These efforts must advance in parallel with our shared commitment to green and digital transition that drives inclusive growth and long-term stability, the European Union will continue to promote a model of growth that is environmentally sound and socially inclusive. This model deepens resilience throughout free trade agreements, digital and green partnerships and major investments under Global Gateway.

Enhancing connectivity by linking digital innovation, human capital and physical infrastructure will remain at the heart of our joint vision for shared prosperity. The blue economy is both economic and an ecological necessity, and not only for those who live by the ocean. We all share the responsibility to ensure a clean, secure and sustainable maritime environment and to build resilient economies for generations to come.

Today's forum reaffirmed that cooperation between the European Union and the Indo Pacific at the multilateral, regional and bilateral levels is enduring, and also forward looking. It is built on mutual interests, trust and conviction that our security and prosperity are interconnected.

Thank you everyone for coming.