Coast guards of India and Sri Lanka to strengthen cooperation on maritime security issues

Indian Coast Guard held a high-level meeting with Sri Lankan Coast Guard on Tuesday and agreed to strengthen cooperation in addressing various maritime issues concerning safety and security, according to an official statement.

"The meeting took place under the provisions of the MoU signed between the two sides for the establishment of a collaborative relationship to combat transnational illegal activities at sea and develop regional co-operation," said the statement by Ministry of Defence.

Continued capacity building of Sri Lanka Coast Guard by Indian Coast Guard, training of Sri Lanka Coast Guard personnel and mutual co-operation in multilateral forums was discussed and agreed by both sides, as per the statement.

"During the meeting, both sides agreed to strengthen co-operation in addressing a spectrum of maritime issues concerning safety and security," the statement added.

During the meeting, the Indian side was led by Director General of Coast Guard K Natarajan, while the Sri Lankan delegation was headed by Rear Admiral Samantha Wimalathunge.

"The apprehension of two fishing boats by Sri Lanka involved in drug trafficking based on the information exchange undertaken by Indian Coast Guard invoking the MoU was recognised as an important enabler for pursuing further collaborative response to emerging situations at sea," the statement said.

The four-member delegation of Sri Lanka Coast Guard is paying an official visit to India from August 19 to August 23.