New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) The 7th Meeting of the National Security Advisors (NSAs) of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) will be held in New Delhi on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Wednesday.  NSA Ajit Doval will host his counterparts from member states, including the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Seychelles will be participating as an Observer State, while Malaysia has been invited as a Guest. "The CSC was formed to promote closer cooperation between Member States on vital matters of security and to strengthen partnership for enhancing regional security in the Indian Ocean region," read a statement issued by the MEA.

In keeping with this vision and objective, the ministry said that the 7th Meeting of the NSAs will be an opportunity for the participants to review the activities under the different pillars of cooperation, including Maritime Safety and Security; Countering Terrorism and Radicalization; Combating Transnational Organized Crime; Cyber Security and Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, and discuss the Roadmap and Action Plan for 2026.

The 6th Meeting of the NSAs of CSC was held in December 2023 in Mauritius, and member states met again during the Signing Ceremony for the Founding Documents of CSC in Sri Lanka in August 2024. The Deputy National Security Advisers (DNSAs) of CSC countries have also been meeting at regular intervals. The last meeting of DNSAs was held in virtual format in July 2024.

According to the MEA, over the past years, India hosted a number of events, including the First CSC Oceanographers and Hydrographers Conference, where member and observer states shared knowledge and best practices relating to oceanography and hydrography and discussed collaborative ways to address the regional challenges related to the Oceans. Additionally, the maiden Coastal Security Conference, which focused on the greater role and responsibilities of the Coast Guards of Member and Observer States in ensuring security of coastlines and beyond, and the third edition of the Maritime Law Workshop, were also held in India. Several training programmes were also hosted by India on the investigation of terrorism cases, countering trafficking, organised crime and drug law enforcement.