Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurates the first Coastal Security Conference in Chennai

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Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane inaugurated the first Coastal Security Conference organised by the Indian Coast Guard under the aegis of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) at Chennai on 1 December 2022. Director General, Indian Coast Guard V S Pathania was also present at the occasion.

Defence Secretary called upon the member countries to take concerted measures to counter transnational crimes and address identified areas to make the seas safer.

The two day (1-2 December) conference is being attended by India, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

Theme of the conference: Collaborative Efforts for Coastal Security.

A range of issues including coastal security threat, collaborative response, international maritime law and role of empowered agencies, technological solutions for coastal security etc were discussed at the conference.

Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)

The CSC started as a trilateral maritime cooperation mechanism between India, Maldives and Sri Lanka in 2011. The membership of the Group was enlarged with the addition of Mauritius in March 2022. 

The Secretariat of the CSC is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The members have identified five pillars for cooperation, namely-

• Maritime Safety and Security; 
• Countering Terrorism and Radicalization;
• Combating Trafficking and Organised Crime; 
• Cyber Security, Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology and
•  Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.