Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba has said that there is an immense potential for political, economic and maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). Speaking during a programme named 'India's perspective on the benefits of Strategic Maritime Partnerships' at Galle Dialogue beginning in Colombo today, Admiral Lanba said that information sharing, human assistance and disaster relief are important to maritime security cooperation in the region.<br/><br/> The Navy chief emphasised that Indian Ocean region manages two-third of oil shipment, one-third of cargo and almost half of world's trade thus requiring an efficient maritime infrastructure and cooperation. The navy chief said that Indian government has embarked on Security And Growth for ALL in Region (SAGAR) with regard to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's neighbourhood first policy. <br/><br/>The navy chief is on a five-day bilateral visit to Sri Lanka with an objective of consolidating the bilateral maritime relations between the two countries. He is scheduled to have bilateral discussions with Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and various other dignitaries.