Military leaders from the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka have agreed to cooperate in order to increase security regulations on vessels that violate maritime laws.
The meeting took place at the third National Security Advisor (NSA) level Trilateral Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation between the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka on March 6 and 7 in New Delhi.
The agreement comprised of a number of steps, including information sharing, training in oil pollution response and cooperation in the legal and policy response to piracy.
Shivshankar Menon, chair of the meeting and Indian National Security Advisor stated, “the immediate threat that we have been facing in the last few years is piracy and that fortunately…is down. But, even though the number is down…that doesn’t mean the primary source of the problem, which is on land, has been solved. We need to keep putting in this effort.”
The next NSA meeting will take place in the Maldives.