Maldives becomes the fourth member of Colombo Security Conclave along with India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius

Maldives has joined the Colombo Security Conclave, a regional maritime security initiative involving India, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius. The CSC aims to strengthen coordination in countering transnational organized crime, terrorist threats, and cyber security issues in the Indian Ocean Region through capacity building and information sharing.

 In a new direction, the Maldives has aligned itself with India, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius to build a strong regional maritime security framework in the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC). This step has further enhanced the efforts to strengthen cooperation to address various threats in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). 

 The charter of the CSC and an MoU were inked by the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of the participating nations including Ajit Doval of India, Sagala Ratnayaka of Sri Lanka, Ibrahim Latheef of Maldives and Haymandoyal Dillim, High Commissioner of Mauritius to Sri Lanka. 

 The identified “Pillars of Cooperation” for the CSC are maritime safety and security, counter-terrorism and radicalization, counter-trafficking and organized crime, cyber security, protection of critical infrastructure, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. 

 The CSC will also enhance cooperation in combating transnational organized crime including drug trafficking, illicit firearms trafficking and human trafficking. The member states will exchange critical information on counter-terrorism, radicalization, violent extremism, cyber threats, and transnational organized crime. 

 The capacity building among the partner nations will be an important component and the initiative will comprise of training courses, joint exercises, workshops and skill development programs. The member states will also cooperate in areas such as oceanography, hydrography, maritime law and conservation of marine life. 

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 The secretariat of the CSC will be located in Colombo and the organization will have a Secretary-General who will be the chairman of this important security organization. The decision-making process and the institutionalization of the mechanisms will guarantee the member states’ cooperation and coordination. 

 The Maldives’ accession to the CSC means that it is willing to enhance cooperation with India and other partners in the region instead of relying on extra-regional actors beyond the IOR. This move is expected to improve security and stability of the maritime domain in the Indian Ocean region.