In a significant development, a trilateral permanent secretariat on Maritime Security Cooperation was established on Monday at the Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters in Colombo to boost the trilateral maritime cooperation among Sri Lanka, India, and the Maldives.

Last year in November the three nations had held the 4th meet of the NSA level Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation in Colombo. The decision to establish a joint headquarter in Colombo was taken during the meet. 

Sri Lankan defense secretary and defense attaches of India and Maldives attended the ceremony on Monday, according to a report on Colombopage.

“The entire world is benefitted with this initiative as the Indian Ocean is the lifeline of the entire world, Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Admiral Prof. Colombage, who was also present there, was quoted as saying by Colombopage. The secretariat would be operated 24/7, said a Sri Lankan official. 

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 the Observer States.