Maldives, India & Sri Lanka agree to work on four pillars of security cooperation

Picture of armed MNDF officers patrolling the streets of Male' City. Photo: Nishan Ali

Male’, Maldives – Maldives, India and Sri Lanka on Wednesday agreed to work on four pillars of security cooperation in a recent virtual meeting of top security officials of the three countries.

Sri Lanka hosted a virtual Deputy National Security Adviser-level meeting this Wednesday, where General LHSC Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of Army of Sri Lanka. Pankaj Saran, Deputy National Security Adviser of India, and Aishath Nooshin Waheed, Secretary, National Security Adviser’s Office of the Maldivian President participated.

According to the Indian High Commission, at the meeting, the respective members identified the four pillars of cooperation in Marine Safety and Security, Terrorism and Radicalization, Trafficking and Organized Crime, and Cyber security’s. They discussed on specific proposals for cooperation in each area, including joint exercises and training.

The meeting comes approximately nine months after National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to the Prime Minister of India visited Colombo for deliberations with Secretary to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence, Kamal Gunaratne, and Defence Minister of Maldives, Mariya Didi, where the three countries agreed to expand the scope of intelligence sharing.