Second National Security Advisor level meeting in Colombo

Tuesday, 9 July 2013 00:44 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The second NSA-level (National Security Advisor) Meeting on Trilateral Cooperation on Maritime Security between India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka was held yesterday at the Ministry of Defence. The Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa led the Sri Lankan delegation. Shivshanker Menon, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India and Mohamed Nazim, Minister of Defence and National Security of Maldives headed the Indian and Maldivian sides respectively. Agreement was reached by all on the importance of raising the maritime cooperation between the three countries in the current context of maritime security environment in the Indian Ocean region. The meeting follows several senior official and technical level consultations held between the three neighbouring countries.

At the conclusion of the meeting an outcome document detailing specific areas of cooperation in the maritime security sphere was signed. High Commissioner of India Y.K. Sinha, High Commissioner of Maldives Hussain Shihab and Joint Secretary of the Security Council Secretariat (India) Saurabh Kumar were among the foreign delegates. Prasad Kariyawasm, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, S. Hettiarachchi Additional Secretary (Defence), Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of National Intelligence, Commanders of Army and Navy, Director General of Sri Lanka Coast Guard were also in the local delegation.