Sri Lanka, March 12 -- Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for stronger political, economic and security cooperation among countries in the Indian Ocean region, warning that the absence of regional integration has left the area vulnerable at a time of escalating geopolitical tensions.

Issuing a video statement addressing the current global situation, Wickremesinghe pointed to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, noting that it highlights the region's lack of coordinated response mechanisms.

"We are discussing the lack of integration in our region amidst a war in which two outside states, US and Israel are bombing a state within the region," he said, adding that Iran was also attacking Gulf stat...