Colombo, March 1 (Ceylon Today): A Secretariat for Trilateral National Security Advisers (NSA) on Maritime Security Cooperation betw een India, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka was inaugurated in Colombo on Monday.
In keeping with the discussions held at the previous NSA level trilateral meetings on Maritime Security Cooperation with India and the Maldives, a Secretariat for Trilateral National Security Advisors on Maritime Security Cooperation was set up at the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Headquarters, Colombo.
Secretary, Ministry of Defence and State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management Gen. Kamal Gunaratne (Retd), Foreign Ministry Secretary Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage (Retd), Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, and the Defence Attachés of India and Maldives were also present at the opening ceremony.
“The entire world is benefitted with this initiative, as the Indian Ocean is the lifeline of the entire world,” said Prof. Colombage during the event, while expressing his thoughts on the importance of the Indian Ocean. According to the Navy Commander, the fully-fledged new Secretariat would be operated 24/7.
Sri Lanka hosted the fourth NSA-level trilateral meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation with India and the Maldives on 27 and 28 November 2020 in Colombo, while Bangladesh, Seychelles, and Mauritius participated virtually as Observer States.
