7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)

Current Context: The 7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) was hosted by the French Navy at La Réunion.

• The Indian delegation was represented by Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy through a virtual manner.
• The current chair of the Symposium is France.
• The IONS is a series of biennial meetings which are held between the related states of the Indian Ocean region.
• It allows to boost maritime cooperation among the Navies of the member states, it allows to have an open discussion related to maritime security cooperation, regional maritime issues and also promotes friendly relationships among the member states.
• At the Symposium, SME presentations were made by the French Institute of International Relations - Observatoire du Climat, European Union, Indian Ocean Commission, IFC Singapore, RMIFC Madagascar and EU led Critical Maritime Routes Indian Ocean (CRIMARIO).
• The dignitaries held panel discussions about Maritime Security and Information Sharing & Interoperability.

Question: 

Q.1 Which country hosted the 7th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)?
a. India
b. Bangladesh
c. South Africa
d. France