The Colombo Security Conference (CSC), a regional security grouping, on 10 July officially welcomed Bangladesh as its fifth member. The announcement was made during the 8th Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) level meeting hosted virtually by Mauritius. Existing members – India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Maldives – warmly welcomed Bangladesh, while Seychelles participated as an observer state.
The Colombo Security Conference was established in 2020, when India, Sri Lanka and Maldives agreed to expand the scope of their trilateral meeting on maritime cooperation. Mauritius joined the conference at the group's fifth meeting in Male in March 2022.
During the July 10 virtual meeting, member countries reviewed the progress of activities outlined in the CSC's roadmap for 2023-2024. They also discussed decisions taken at previous high-level meetings, including the 7th DNSA level meeting hosted by Maldives in July 2023 and the 6th NSA level meeting in Mauritius last December.
India was represented by Deputy National Security Advisor (Internal Affairs) Pankaj Kumar Singh, while the Bangladesh delegation was led by Lieutenant General Mizanur Rahman Shamim, Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division in the Prime Minister's Office.
The CSC Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka was represented by Acting Secretary Commodore Eddie Weerasinghe. The Seychelles delegation was led by Lieutenant Colonel Michael Holanda, Commander of Land Forces of the Seychelles Defence Forces.
The member countries agreed that the 7th NSA level meeting of the Colombo Security Conference will be held in India later this year, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
India was represented by NSA Ajit Doval at the 6th National Security Advisor level meeting of the Colombo Security Conference (CSC). The meeting was held in Mauritius on December 7, 2023 and was attended by representatives from Mauritius and Sri Lanka as well as Seychelles and Bangladesh.
