India, Sri Lanka coast guards hold high-level meeting to strengthen maritime cooperation

Coast guards of India and Sri Lanka, led by their top officers, held a key meeting here on Monday and discussed ways to strengthen cooperative engagements in the fields of marine pollution response, maritime search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement.

The eighth high-level meeting between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) marked "another milestone" in the strong and enduring maritime partnership between the two countries, the defence ministry said.

"The discussions centred on strengthening cooperative engagements in the fields of marine pollution response, maritime search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement, along with enhanced capacity building and technical assistance initiatives," it said.

The Sri Lankan delegation was led by SLCG Director General Rear Admiral Y R Serasinghe, and the Indian delegation was headed by ICG Director General Paramesh Sivamani.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to working closely in addressing contemporary maritime challenges, ensuring safety, security, and environmental stewardship in the shared maritime domain.

The meeting underscored the mutual resolve of ICG and SLCG to deepen operational coordination, share best practices, and further promote regional maritime stability through sustained cooperation, it said in a statement.

The SLCG delegation is on a visit to India from August 10-14 for the meeting and other professional interactions under the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding, signed between the ICG and SLCG in 2018.