Colombo Security Conclave and maritime cooperation

Context: Fifth National Security Advisor-level talks of the Colombo Security Conclave held in the Maldives.
Colombo Security Conclave

• The Colombo Security Conclave is a regional security grouping.
• It was initially formed in 2011 as a trilateral Indian Ocean maritime security grouping of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It was revived again in 2021.
• The Colombo Security Conclave has since expanded both its membership as well as scope.
• Colombo Security Conclave envisages sharing intelligence and collaborating on the security aspects of marine security, human trafficking, counter-terrorism, and cyber security.
• The fifth edition saw the induction of Mauritius as a new member and the scope of the conclave has been expanded to include humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Key Points

• At the fifth conclave, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius discussed ways to combat maritime challenges. Apart from the maritime security aspects, the NSAs also discussed countering narcotics trafficking and transnational organised crime and cyber security and emerging technologies.
• The participating countries agreed on a roadmap to bolster cooperation. They identified key areas of cooperation to enhance and strengthen regional security based on five pillars.

• The roadmap will facilitate robust mechanisms for coordinated response capacity building and strengthening information flow between member states.
• Notably, delegations from Bangladesh and Seychelles participated as observers in the meeting raising the prospects of adding more member countries in future meetings.

Indian NSA’s address:

• The Indian NSA highlighted India’s contribution as the first responder in the region in crisis situations and noted the cooperation and collaboration among the member countries in tackling narcotics trafficking, organised crimes and mitigating threats posed by maritime accidents.
• Noting the fact that India’s national security is deeply intertwined with the collective security aspirations of the region, the Indian Security Adviser reiterated India’s commitment to working in close cooperation with its maritime neighbours in the form of building capacity through training, supply of equipment, upgrading coastal security installations, and exchange of information.
• The Indian NSA called for the institutionalisation of the Colombo Security Conclave through follow up meetings of the heads of the Coast Guards of the four member countries and the formation of joint working groups to tackle drug trafficking and transnational organised crimes.

India’s interests

• Given India’s location in the Indian Ocean, maritime security remains a major security aspect for India. Closer cooperation among regional partners will aid India’s efforts to ensure security and stability in the region.
• The Colombo Security Conclave being a mainly India driven “minilateral”, it is being seen as India’s outreach to the Indian Ocean to underline regional cooperation and shared security objectives. In this way, India through CSC hopes to restrict China’s influence in an area of strategic importance, and to reduce the Chinese footprint in the member countries, including the new and proposed additions.

Road Ahead

• The Colombo Security Conclave is a welcome initiative to enable regional cooperation in the critical realm of maritime security and also offers India an opportunity to reach out to the neighbours in the Indian Ocean region in a bid to maintain its strategic standing in this important region.