The7thAnnual HighLevel Meeting (HLM) between the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) was conducted on 11 Nov 24 atColombo, Sri Lanka marking 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 ICGdelegation is led by DGS Paramesh, PTM, TM,Director General, Indian Coast Guard while the SLCG side is led by Rear Admiral YR Serasinghe, Director General, Sri Lanka Coast Guard.
The HLMunderscores 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.The 8th annual ICG-SLCG meeting will be hosted by Indian Coast Guard in the year 2025.
