• Delegations of the founding members of Colombo Security Conclave — Maldives, India and Sri Lanka — and the newest member of the Conclave, Mauritius, successfully concluded the 5th National Security Adviser level meeting held in Maldives. 

• Delegations from Bangladesh and Seychelles participated in the meeting as observers.

• National Security Adviser Ajit Doval represented India at the conclave. Doval called for strengthening cooperation amongst maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region to address shared security challenges, and as the first responders.

• The regional grouping comprising has agreed on a roadmap to bolster cooperation in five specific areas including maritime security, countering terrorism and radicalisation and cyber security.

Colombo Security Conclave

• The Colombo Security Conclave was founded as a trilateral security framework between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives with four pillars of security cooperation, covering marine safety and security, human trafficking, counter-terrorism and cyber security.

• In November 2021, India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka conducted a two-day maritime operation in the Indian Ocean Region to keep it safe and secure including for international trade.

• The grouping came out with a declaration at the end of its two-day meeting in the Maldives.

The five areas identified for boosting cooperation are:

1) Maritime safety and security.

2) Countering terrorism and radicalisation.

3) Combating trafficking and transnational organised crime.

4) Cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure and technology.

5) Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

• The roadmap will facilitate robust mechanisms for coordinated responses capacity building and strengthening information flow between member states.

• As maritime neighbours, facing similar threats, the Conclave reaffirmed their commitment to engage in consistent joint efforts to achieve regional peace and security.

Manorama Yearbook app is now available on Google Play Store and iOS App Store