The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), one of the important minilaterals addressing security concerns in the Indian Ocean region, held a National Security Advisers’ meeting in Sri Lanka on August 30 and signed the Charter and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the organisation’s secretariat.

Previously, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives had established an annual trilateral defence dialogue. Seychelles and Mauritius were invited to attend the forum as observers. This trilateral defence dialogue was converted into the Colombo Security Conclave in November 2020, with Mauritius as a new member to establish close cooperation between the member countries having similar concerns. National Security Advisers of the four-member countries—Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives and Mauritius—attended the recent meeting, while Seychelles participated as an observer (it may join the group in the future). Bangladesh, which became the fifth member of the CSC in July 2024, did not participate.

Apart from the CSC, other regional organisations focusing on the Indian Ocean are the Indian Ocean Rim Association and the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium. Minilaterals always help countries forge deeper ties. India has robust ties with these countries, making it easier to collaborate and cooperate on security matters and enhance capacity building among the members of this maritime grouping. Since 2021, the CSC has also held regular meetings at the Deputy National Security Adviser level.

Five pillars of the CSC

The Colombo Security Conclave is based on five pillars of cooperation: Maritime Safety and Security; Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation; Combating Trafficking and Transnational Organised Crime; Cyber Security and Protection of Critical Infrastructure and Technology; and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. Member countries also participate in the Coastal Security Conference held under the aegis of the CSC. Tabletop exercises (TTX), which are regularly conducted, promote interoperability among the participating countries’ armed forces.

The CSC is a regional maritime security architecture based on common security challenges the member countries face. It builds maritime security capacities to respond to emergencies arising from natural calamities and deal with terrorism, piracy and other issues. The cooperation between some of these Indian Ocean littorals can be gauged because the Indian Ocean bears two-thirds of the world’s oil shipments, one-third of its bulk cargo and half of its container traffic. Over three-fourths of its traffic goes to other regions of the world, making it strategically important and a trade lifeline. The security conclave is the newest addition to the existing Indian Ocean Region multilateral forums and aims at close cooperation between the Indian Ocean countries on non-traditional security.

Among these countries, India has historically close relations with its maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean. For example, Mauritius appoints an Indian as its security adviser. Both Mauritius and Seychelles have an Indian Navy Officer as maritime security adviser. These appointments are highly significant for India as both are important partners in the Western Indian Ocean, where China also has a strong presence.

The Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles and Sri Lanka are part of the Indian coastal radar network. Bangladesh was offered the installation of a coastal surveillance system in 2019. As all these countries are island nations, it will help them to monitor sub 20-meter fishing boats such as county boats, dinghies and fishing vessels in a heavy sea clutter environment in all weather conditions, thereby enhancing maritime security. Sri Lanka had witnessed how the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam used the sea to ferry arms into the country without being detected by Sri Lankan armed forces.

India has established joint Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance with the Maldives, Mauritius and Seychelles and has joint naval exercises with all the CSC countries. It has also provided some of these countries with an Indian-built patrol vessel to enhance their capacity to patrol their maritime coastline and EEZ.

Emerging maritime architecture

Given the presence of several major powers in the Indian Ocean, building a regional security architecture on core issues of the Ocean littorals is important. India’s Security and Growth for All in the Region policy, announced in 2015, aims to strengthen ties with the Indian Ocean littorals as the region becomes a hotbed of great power competition. It ostensibly increases the presence of foreign navies to protect sea lines of communication and engage in anti-piracy operations.

China’s naval expansion into the Ocean is to protect its trade and anti-piracy activities of its navy. This underlines why the trilateral defence dialogue was expanded, and the Colombo Security Conclave was formed to forge a common platform with countries where India already has robust defence cooperation, except for Bangladesh.

Agreement on the five pillars identified by the CSC shows the countries’ priorities. Piracy and robbery have emerged as major threats. Recently, pirates attacked the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, and its crews were taken hostage. The Indian naval warship and a long-range maritime patrol aircraft were pressed into locating the vessel.

In February 2023, India and Seychelles inked an MoU to enhance maritime domain awareness, information sharing, anti-piracy operations, counter-terrorism exercises, training and capacity building. Similar bilateral cooperation mechanisms also exist between India and other member states. Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief have acquired significance after the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. At the time, the Indian navy was the first to commence a rescue operation.

The CSC countries, including Seychelles, were invited to this year's Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony. In the past, India has responded militarily to coup attempts in both Seychelles and the Maldives in the past. It maintains close security collaboration with Mauritius, especially on Agalega Island, which would aid India’s maritime reconnaissance. India’s bilateral relations with the Maldives are gradually improving after initial months of setbacks of Indian trainers, which the newly elected President Mohamed Muizzu, riding an anti-Indian campaign, wanted to send back.

Given the emerging geopolitical context, the Colombo Security Conclave remains an important forum for the emerging maritime security architecture in the Indian Ocean.