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Colombo:
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Saturday took half within the high-level trilateral maritime dialogue amongst India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Sri Lanka is internet hosting the fourth trilateral assembly on maritime safety cooperation with India and the Maldives.
The assembly is happening after six years – the final assembly was held in New Delhi in 2014.
“The trilateral meeting among India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives on maritime and security cooperation gets underway,” the High Commission of India in Colombo stated in a tweet.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister and Leader of the House-Parliament, Dinesh Gunawardena, was the chief visitor on the occasion, it stated.
The assembly can be attended by observers from Bangladesh, Mauritius and Seychelles, the Sri Lankan navy stated Thursday.
Ajit Doval, who arrived in Colombo on Friday for the dialogue, on Friday met Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Didi and held a cordial and detailed dialogue on deepening bilateral partnership with the important thing island nation within the Indian Ocean.
Ajit Doval additionally met Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Major Gen (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne on Friday they usually agreed on a number of steps to additional strengthen the “valuable” cooperation between the 2 international locations which additionally contributes to peace and safety within the area.
“NSA Ajit Doval met Major Gen(Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne, Defence Secretary of SriLanka & discussed matters pertaining to the growing defence and security partnership between the two countries,” the Indian High Commission in Colombo stated in a tweet.
The high-level trilateral assembly is designed to provoke collective motion on maritime safety together with maritime area consciousness, authorized regimes, practice in search and rescue, maritime air pollution response, data sharing, curbing piracy medication arms and contraband trafficking within the Indian Ocean area.
On Thursday, the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi stated the NSA-level trilateral assembly had served as an efficient platform for cooperation amongst Indian Ocean international locations.
“The meeting will provide an opportunity for discussion on issues pertaining to cooperation in maritime security in the Indian Ocean region,” the MEA stated in an announcement.
The assembly is happening amidst China’s makes an attempt to unfold its affect within the resource-rich Indo-Pacific area.
China views the Maldives as key to its Maritime Silk Road mission within the Indian Ocean because it has already acquired Hambantota port in Sri Lanka and Djibouti within the Horn of Africa.
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