Defense Minister Maria Ahmed Didi has lauded the establishment of the Secretariat for Trilateral National Security Advisors on Maritime Security Cooperation at the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Headquarters in Colombo.
The Minister said that she was confident that this will increase for all the countries involved along with the whole Indian Ocean Region.
The Sri Lankan Defense Ministry said that in keeping with the discussions held at the previous National Security Advisor (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 established at the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Headquarters, Colombo yesterday.
It said that top defense officials along with the Defence Attachés of India and Maldives were present at the brief opening ceremony.
During the event, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Colombage said that the entire world is benefitted from this initiative as the Indian Ocean is the lifeline of the entire world and expressed his concerns about the importance of the Indian Ocean.
According to the Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne, 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 Nov 27 and 28, 2020 in Colombo while Bangladesh, Seychelles, and Mauritius represented the meeting virtually as Observer States.
