Their meeting marked the revival of NSA-level trilateral talks on maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region after a gap of six years.
What is Colombo Security Conclave?
The decision to establish Colombo Security Conclave was taken in November 2020 at the NSA-level meeting of India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives to forge closer cooperation on maritime and security matters among the three Indian Ocean countries.
The Deputy NSA level meeting was a follow-up to the decisions taken at the NSA level meeting.
The idea of ‘Colombo Security Conclave’ was initiated by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2011.
Key address points from the meeting
The DNSA level meeting identified four pillars of cooperation under the Colombo Security Conclave – Marine Safety and Security, Terrorism and Radicalization, Trafficking and Organised Crime and Cybersecurity.
It discussed specific proposals for each of these pillars including holding regular interaction, joint exercises, capacity building and training activities.
All members expressed keen desire to cooperate in the areas of maritime safety and security through joint exercises of navies and Coast Guards.
They held focussed discussion on combating marine pollution.
The three Observer states – Bangladesh, Mauritius and Seychelles – have been invited to join the conclave as full members at the next NSA level meeting which is expected to be organized later this year in Maldives.
Significance:
The coming together of the 6 Indian Ocean region countries in India’s immediate neighbourhood on a common maritime and security platform is significant in wider global context as well.
The initiative, grounded in military and security collaboration, assumes significance in the region, due to the geostrategic relationship that India shares with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Earlier this year, India aired security concerns over China being awarded development projects in an island off Sri Lanka’s northern province, close to India’s southern border.
