India and Sri Lanka on Monday reviewed their preparedness to jointly combat transnational maritime crime and regional cooperation in the seventh annual High Level Meeting (HLM) between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG)at Colombo, ICG said here.
Giving details, officials said this meet marked a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts to combat transnational maritime crime and promote regional cooperation.
This annual meeting follows the institutionalized mechanism as outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between both the maritime agencies in May 2018.
The four member ICG delegation is led by its Director General S Paramesh while the SLCG side is led by Rear Admiral YR Serasinghe, Director General, Sri Lanka Coast Guard.
The HLM underscores the commitment of both the Coast Guards to jointly address maritime challenges while focusing on a range of regional maritime contemporary 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.
