Colombo Security Conclave agrees on measures to bolster cooperation

Aug 30, 2024 07:49 PM IST

The CSC began in 2020 as a trilateral grouping of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives to forge closer cooperation on maritime and security matters among the three Indian Ocean countries. It was later expanded with the inclusion of Mauritius and Bangladesh as members and the Seychelles as an observer.

A joint statement said the member states of the CSC signed the charter and a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for establishing the CSC Secretariat at a ceremony in Colombo hosted by the Sri Lankan government.

The statement added the documents were signed by India’s National Security (NSA) Adviser Ajit Doval, Ibrahim Latheef, the NSA of the Maldives, Haymandoyal Dillum, the high commissioner of Mauritius to Sri Lanka, and Sagala Ratnayake, the NSA of Sri Lanka.

It could not immediately be ascertained why a representative of Bangladesh did not sign the documents. It had earlier been expected that Bangladesh’s envoy to Sri Lanka would sign the documents. 

People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity that the development could be linked to the recent change of government in Dhaka. 

“The CSC’s core objective is to promote regional security by addressing transnational threats and challenges of common concern to the member states,” the joint statement said. 

The five pillars of cooperation under the CSC are maritime safety and security, countering terrorism and radicalisation, combating trafficking and transnational organised crime, cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The meeting in Colombo concluded with a discussion among the heads of delegations on the next steps and the future activities of the CSC.

Doval also met Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and discussed ongoing economic collaboration between the two sides.