He congratulated Maldives on successfully hosting the Colombo Security Conclave

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday met with Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Didi and reaffirmed India’s commitment to further strengthen time-tested bilateral security partnership with Maldives and to work closely for enhancing regional security.

A tweet by the Indian High Commission in Maldives said that NSA Doval met Defence Minister Didi and congratulated Maldives on successfully hosting the Colombo Security Conclave meeting.

An earlier tweet by the Maldivian Ministry of Defence had said that Minister Didi met with India’s NSA Ajit Doval.

“The Minister noted the robust India-Maldives Defence and Security Partnership and expressed hope for continued collaboration and dynamism in enforcing Colombo Security Conclave's Charter and 4 Pillars of Cooperation,” the tweet had further said.

NSA Doval attended the 5th National Security Advisor level meeting held on Wednesday and Thursday in Maldives. The meet was attended by Maldivian Minister of Defence Didi, General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd.), Secretary to the Ministry of Defence of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; and Kumaresan Ilango, National Security Adviser to the Republic of Mauritius.

A Joint Press Statement of the 5th NSA Level Meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave said that delegations of the founding members of Colombo Security Conclave; Maldives, India and Sri Lanka, and the newest member of the Conclave, Mauritius, successfully concluded the 5th National Security Adviser level meeting.

Delegations from Bangladesh and Seychelles participated as observers, it added.

The dignitaries from the four countries- Minister Didi, NSA Doval, Secretary General Gunaratne and NSA Ilango of Maritius identified key areas of cooperation to enhance and strengthen regional security in the following five pillars, said the statement.

The five pillars are Maritime Safety and Security, Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation, Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organised Crime, Cyber Security, Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

The Member states agreed upon a roadmap for further cooperation and collaboration on these pillars of cooperation, it added.

According to the Joint Statement, the roadmap will facilitate robust mechanisms for coordinated responses capacity building and strengthening information flow between member states.

The delegation from Bangladesh was led by Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Defence and Security Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Seychelles was represented by Simon Archange Dine, Chief of Staff of Seychelles Defence Forces.

As maritime neighbours, facing similar threats, the Conclave reaffirmed their commitment to engage in consistent joint efforts to achieve regional peace and security, the statement said.