New Delhi: The 7th Deputy NSA level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) was hosted by Maldives on Wednesday.

Member States India, Maldives, Mauritius and Sri Lanka met in the virtual format. Bangladesh and Seychelles participated as Observers.

The Indian delegation was led by Deputy National Security Adviser, Vikram Misri. Delegation of Maldives was led by Aishath Nooshin Waheed, Secretary, National Security Advisor’s Office of the Republic of Maldives.

Delegation of Mauritius by Mr. Yoidhisteer Thecka, Principal Coordinator Security Matters, Prime Minister’s Office, Republic of Mauritius and delegation of Sri Lanka by General Shavendra Silva, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, ndc, psc, MPhil, Chief of Defence Staff, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Member States reviewed the decisions taken at the 5th NSA level Meeting held in Maldives on 09-10 March 2022 and the 6th Deputy NSA level meeting held in Kochi, India on 07 July 2022.

They also reviewed the progress of activities under the different pillars of cooperation and discussed new proposals for activities in 2023-2024. The 8th Deputy NSA meeting will be held in the first quarter of 2024.

A number of activities have been held under the five pillars of cooperation of the CSC which include Maritime Safety and Security, Countering Terrorism and Radicalization, Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime, Cyber Security, Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

Over the past year, India hosted a number of events including the First CSC Oceanographers and Hydrographers Conference where member and observer states shared knowledge and best practices relating to oceanography and hydrography and discussed collaborative ways to address the regional challenges related to the Oceans; the maiden CSC Coastal Security Conference which focused on the greater role and responsibilities of the Coast Guards of Member and Observer States in ensuring security of coastlines and beyond, and the third edition of Maritime Law Workshop.

A number of training programmes were also held by India on investigation of terrorism cases, countering trafficking and organized crime and drug law enforcement.

The 6th NSA level Meeting of the CSC is scheduled to be held in Mauritius in October 2023.