India-Sri Lanka Coast Guards strengthen maritime cooperation at 7th Annual High-Level Meeting
Nov 11, 2024
New Delhi [India], November 11 : The 7th Annual High-Level Meeting (HLM) between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) was conducted on Monday at Colombo, Sri Lanka, marking a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts to combat transnational maritime crime and promote regional cooperation between the two nations.
This annual meeting was followed by institutionalised mechanisms as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between both maritime agencies in May 2018.
The four-member ICG delegation was led by Director General S Paramesh of the Indian Coast Guard, while the SLCG side was led by Rear Admiral YR Serasinghe, Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard.
The high-level meeting underscored the commitment of both Coast Guards to jointly address maritime challenges while focusing on a range of contemporary regional maritime issues, including drug trafficking, marine pollution, safety of mariners, adoption of best practices, capacity-building programs and other collaborative arrangements.
The outcome of the meeting reiterates enhancing mutual cooperation in addressing these challenges, thereby strengthening the maritime safety and security framework in the region. The 8th annual ICG-SLCG meeting will be hosted by the Indian Coast Guard in the year 2025.
