New Delhi Hosts 3rd NSA Level Meet On Trilateral Maritime Security Co-op

New Delhi, March 8, IRNA – The third NSA-level Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka held in New Delhi. Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon led the Indian delegation and chaired the meeting. The Maldivian delegation was led by Col (Retd) Mohamed Nazim, Minister of Defence and National Security, and the Sri Lankan delegation by Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary, Ministry of Defense and Urban Development. Delegations from Mauritius and Seychelles also participated in the meeting as Guest countries. Mr. Motichand Seebah, Permanent Secretary in Prime Minister’s Office, represented Mauritius, while Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, represented Seychelles. During the third NSA-Level meeting in Delhi, the participants reviewed and expressed satisfaction over the progress in the implementation of various activities in the identified areas. They also discussed new areas of cooperation including hydrography; training in Visit, Board, Search and Seizure Operations; training on board Indian Sail Training Ships; exchanges between think tanks; and joint participation in adventure activities. The participants directed the Working/Technical Level Groups to meet at an early date to accelerate the implementation of joint activities and work out a programme of cooperation in the new areas. The participants also welcomed the presence of Mauritius and Seychelles in the meeting. They noted that participation of Mauritius and Seychelles in this initiative would contribute to enhancing maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. The next NSA level Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation would be held in Maldives on a date to be decided through diplomatic channels. India, Sri Lanka and Maldives launched the Trilateral Cooperation in Maritime Security in October 2011 at the first NSA-level Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation in Maldives. The second meeting was held in Colombo in July 2013./end