Colombo: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval participated in a trilateral dialogue in Colombo on Saturday. In this high-level dialogue, maritime security has also been discussed between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Earlier such meeting was held in New Delhi in 2014.
The High Commission of India, present in Sri Lanka, said that during this time Sri Lanka’s Defense Secretary Retired Major General Kamal Gunaratne and Maldives Defense Minister Maria Didi and Ajit Doval from India were present. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardene was the chief guest of the program.
According to a joint statement, the three countries 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.
In addition, 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.
Doval, who arrived in Colombo on Friday for the dialogue, on Friday met Didi and held a cordial and detailed discussion on deepening bilateral partnership with the key island nation in the Indian Ocean.
Doval also met Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Major Gen (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne on Friday and they agreed on several steps to further strengthen the “valuable” cooperation between the two countries.