India on Feb 23 pledged to help Somalia in its economic development as New Delhi underlined the need for stability in the war-torn nation which has become a breeding ground for pirates.
Minister of State for External Affairs E Ahamed said India desired stability in the Horn of Africa state which has been hit by protracted crisis.
He said piracy was the "most obvious example of the lack" of stability there, and hoped the Conference will reflect India's concerns on the issue.
Indians constitute 7 per cent of all the world's seafarers and a manifestation of the Somali predicament has been the tremendous human cost that these seafarers pay.
The conference is being attended by British Prime Minister David Cameron, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN chief Ban Ki-moon among officials from about 50 countries and organisations to discuss a roadmap for Somalia.
