• Sri Lanka hosted the fourth National Security Adviser-level trilateral meeting on maritime security cooperation with India and the Maldives. It was attended by India’s NSA Ajit Doval, Sri Lankan defence secretary Major Gen (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne and Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Didi. 

Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation

• Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives launched the Trilateral NSA-level Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation in 2011. The past deliberations and outcomes have helped the three countries in improving close coordination in maritime security of the region. These were supplemented by deputy NSA-level meetings for sustained engagements and implementation of the discussions at the NSA-level meetings. The last meeting was held in 2014 in New Delhi.

• The NSA-level trilateral meeting had served as an effective platform for cooperation among Indian Ocean countries.

• Realising the topical necessity of the continuation of NSA-level meeting, the 4th National Security Adviser-Level Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation was hosted in Colombo on November 28.

Highlights of the meeting:

• The three countries, recognising the significance of the forum for promoting meaningful cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region on common issues pertaining to maritime security, took stock of the current maritime security environment in the region.

• They discussed mutual cooperation in the areas of maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, joint exercises, capacity building, maritime security and threats, marine pollution and maritime underwater heritage.

• They agreed to further strengthen cooperation in dealing with these challenges, to ensure peace and security in the region for common benefit.

• The three countries also exchanged views on common security threats and agreed to broad base cooperation by expanding the scope to improve intelligence sharing and include issues like terrorism, radicalisation, extremism, drugs, arms and human trafficking, money laundering, cybersecurity and effect of climate change on maritime environment.

• The heads of delegations agreed to meet regularly to share, discuss and ensure timely implementation of decisions taken at the meeting. They also decided to hold deputy NSA-level working group meetings biannually for cooperation at operational level.

• The meeting took place amidst China’s attempts to enhance its influence in the resource-rich Indo-Pacific region and the Indian Ocean. China views the Maldives and Sri Lanka as key to its Maritime Silk Road project in the Indian Ocean. It has already acquired the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka on long lease and established a military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

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