India’s National Security Advisor in Sri Lanka for talks

India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit K. Doval arrived in Colombo Thursday, official sources told The Hindu, to follow-up on the ongoing Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) initiative. He is also scheduled to meet with political leaders in Colombo.

There is no official statement so far on Mr. Doval?s visit, taking place about three weeks before Sri Lanka?s Presidential elections scheduled on September 21. Colombo-based political sources, from different political parties, confirmed they were invited for meetings with the top Indian official.

During his visit, Mr. Doval is scheduled to review deliberations of the Colombo Security Conclave, a regional initiative that began as a trilateral effort among India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. It has since expanded to include Mauritius and Bangladesh as members, and the Seychelles as an observer.

The sixth NSA-level meeting was hosted by Mauritius in December 2023, and the next meeting of the security chiefs will be held in India later this year, according to a Ministry of External Affairs statement issued last month.

On July 10, the eighth Deputy NSA-level meeting of the CSC took place virtually. India, Mauritius, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka welcomed Bangladesh as the fifth member state of the grouping set up to counter China?s growing influence in the Indian Ocean Region. Seychelles participated as an observer. (Courtesy The Hindu)