India, Maldives, Sri Lanka trilateral meet on maritime security begins

The Ministry of External Affairs said that the NSA-level trilateral meeting has served as an effective platform for cooperation among Indian Ocean countries

A trilateral meeting on maritime security cooperation between India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives began on Saturday, the Indian High Commission said.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena was the chief guest at the event.

India is represented by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who arrived here yesterday. While Maldives foreign minister Mariya Didi and Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Major General (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne represented their countries during the talks.

“The tri-lateral meeting among India, Sri Lanka and Maldives on maritime and security cooperation gets underway. Minister @DCRGunawardena was the chief guest at the event,” the high commission tweeted.

This will be the first NSA level meeting on Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation. Besides Doval, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Major General (Retd).

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the NSA-level trilateral meeting has served as an effective platform for cooperation among Indian Ocean countries.

The mechanism is being revived after six years as earlier meetings were held in 2011 in the Maldives, in 2013 in Sri Lanka, and in 2014 in India.