Colombo/New Delhi, Aug 30 (UNI) Member states of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) signed the Charter and the MoU for the Establishment of the CSC Secretariat today in Colombo.
Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval; Ibrahim Latheef, DC (Retd.) Lt. Col (Retd.), National Security Advisor of Maldives; Haymandoyal Dillum, High Commissioner of Mauritius to Sri Lanka and Sagala Ratnayake, National Security Advisor of Sri Lanka, signed the documents on behalf of the respective Member States. Bangladesh skipped the meet due to its internal political churning.
The Colombo Security Conclave is a regional initiative that began as a trilateral effort among India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. It has since expanded to include Mauritius and Bangladesh as members, and the Seychelles as an observer.
The CSC’s core objective is to promote regional security by addressing transnational threats and challenges of common concern to the Member States. There are five pillars of cooperation under the CSC namely Maritime Safety and Security; Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation; Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organised Crime; Cyber Security and Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology; and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, a statement said.
The event concluded with a discussion among heads of delegation on the next steps and the future activities of the Conclave.
The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said in a post on X:
“NSA Mr. Ajit Doval KC joined reps from Maldives, Mauritius & Sri Lanka in signing the Charter & MoU for establishment of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) Secretariat today.
“A key platform to enhance regional security cooperation, the signing marks a milestone in the CSC roadmap.”
The agreement aims to enhance the grouping’s role in addressing security and stability challenges in the Indian Ocean Region.
Ajit Doval emphasized the importance of the Colombo Security Conclave in addressing traditional, non-traditional, and emerging hybrid security challenges.
