Ajit Doval seeks maritime ties with Maldives, to tackle drug trafficking, terrorism

On Wednesday, speaking at the CSC which is a grouping of Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives, NSA Ajit Doval called for strengthening cooperation amongst maritime neighbors in the Indian Ocean Region, to tackle drug trafficking, cyber-security challenges, and maritime terrorism.

New Delhi: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday met Maldives Defense Minister Mariya Didi and congratulated Maldives on successfully hosting the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) meeting. The Maldives Ministry of Defense on Thursday took to Twitter to announce this. The tweet read: "Minister Mariya Didi met w/ India's NSA HE Ajit Doval. The Minister noted the robust Def+Sec Partnership & expressed hope for continued collaboration & dynamism in enforcing #ColomboSecurityConclave's Charter & 4 Pillars of Cooperation."

India in Maldives Twitter handles also retweeted it with the caption "NSA met Defence Minister @MariyaDidi and congratulated Maldives on successfully hosting the CSC meeting. He reaffirmed India's commitment to further strengthen time-tested bilateral security partnership, & to work closely for enhancing regional security. @SpokespersonMoD @MEAIndia."

• Min. @MariyaDidi met w/ India's NSA HE Ajit Doval. The Min. noted
  the robust 🇮🇳🇲🇻 Def+Sec Partnership & expressed hope for continued collaboration & dynamism in enforcing #ColomboSecurityConclave's Charter & 4 Pillars of Cooperation. @HCIMaldives @CDFofMNDF @MNDF_Official pic.twitter.com/V3Bk63xEWv

  — Ministry of Defence (@MoDmv) March 10, 2022 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Min. @MariyaDidi met w/ India's NSA HE Ajit Doval. The Min. noted
  the robust 🇮🇳🇲🇻 Def+Sec Partnership & expressed hope for continued collaboration & dynamism in enforcing #ColomboSecurityConclave's Charter & 4 Pillars of Cooperation. @HCIMaldives @CDFofMNDF @MNDF_Official pic.twitter.com/V3Bk63xEWv

  — Ministry of Defence (@MoDmv) March 10, 2022

  ">

  Min. @MariyaDidi met w/ India's NSA HE Ajit Doval. The Min. noted
  the robust 🇮🇳🇲🇻 Def+Sec Partnership & expressed hope for continued collaboration & dynamism in enforcing #ColomboSecurityConclave's Charter & 4 Pillars of Cooperation. @HCIMaldives @CDFofMNDF @MNDF_Official pic.twitter.com/V3Bk63xEWv

  — Ministry of Defence (@MoDmv) March 10, 2022

On Wednesday, speaking at the CSC which is a grouping of Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives, Ajit Doval called for strengthening cooperation amongst maritime neighbors in the Indian Ocean Region, to tackle drug trafficking, cyber-security challenges, and maritime terrorism. Speaking of the security situation after the re-emergence of the Taliban 2.0 in Afghanistan, NSA said the members of the grouping remain vulnerable to trafficking, organized crime, and maritime terrorism, particularly in the light of the developments in Afghanistan.

Describing the significance of the meeting, NSA said this is an opportunity to move forward in institutionalizing our cooperation with a concrete roadmap and a defined charter of objectives. “As maritime neighbors, we face common security challenges. Our national security is deeply intertwined with our collective security aspirations in the region," he added.

This is the fifth National Security Advisor level meeting of the Colombo Security conclave. Mauritius has been added as the fourth member of the group, making it a Quad grouping, while Seychelles and Bangladesh participated as observers. The last meeting of the NSAs happened in Colombo on November 28, 2020.