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On November 20, 2025, India hosted the 7th National Security Advisor-level acme of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC). India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, hosted his counterparts from different member-countries, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Mauritius and Bangladesh, portion counterparts from Seychelles and Malaysia were perceiver authorities and guest, respectively. The CSC has sought to presumption itself arsenic a captious forum to beforehand and foster practice successful the domain of information successful the Indian Ocean region.
Initiated arsenic a trilateral grouping betwixt India, Sri Lanka and Maldives successful 2011, the radical mislaid steam successful airy of the governmental modulation successful the Maldives and Sri Lanka, and deficiency of convergence among the member-states to place priorities successful information practice successful the Indian Ocean. The radical reconvened its engagement nether the aegis of the CSC successful 2020, a projected model to further practice successful maritime security, counter-terrorism, trafficking and organised transgression and cybersecurity. Since then, the radical has remained dependable successful not conscionable maintaining momentum among its member-states but besides inducting countries. In 2022, Mauritius joined arsenic a afloat member, portion successful 2024, the radical saw the admittance of Bangladesh.
A portion witnessing shifts
For India, the summit, successful 2025, comes astatine a pivotal moment. Frameworks of practice successful the maritime domain, successful the broader Indo-Pacific, and so successful the Indian Ocean look to beryllium undergoing a important shift. Given the absorption of the CSC connected non-traditional issues of maritime security, it is captious to bolster practice successful mitigating the looming challenges. While the Indian Ocean maritime information architecture remains fragmented owed to the deficiency of immoderate singular organization framework, groups specified arsenic the CSC indispensable stay committed to enhancing practice successful this regard.
The contented of development
Importantly, for the wider Indian Ocean littoral world, and particularly the members of the CSC, maritime information challenges are often coupled with their developmental priorities.
Given the grade of dependency these countries person connected the oceans for their economical progress, securing challenges emanating from the maritime domain is crucial. In galore ways, maritime information challenges are profoundly intertwined with the lives and livelihoods of not conscionable the littoral communities successful these countries but besides look to unlock caller opportunities for their nationalist economies successful today’s epoch of sea-borne globalisation.
This year’s acme has been important successful galore ways. First, the radical saw further enlargement by mode of accession of Seychelles arsenic a full-member into the forum. This signals a heavy committedness among countries successful the portion to harness practice wrong the mandate of the CSC. Second, for India, the CSC besides marks a caller measurement successful further deepening engagement with its maritime neighbours, amidst an progressively volatile geopolitical and information displacement that appears to beryllium underway successful the portion successful lieu of China’s increasing beingness and influence.
Third, the acme further underscores the increasing vitality of the information magnitude successful enhancing practice to boost determination practice successful the Indian Ocean.
Fourth, the inclusion of Malaysia successful this year’s acme arsenic a impermanent subordinate whitethorn pave the mode for further enlargement of the group.
Viewing the China factor
However, arsenic the CSC envisages its enlargement and broadening the contours of its agenda, immoderate cardinal challenges look to beryllium looming. First, for India, a cardinal maritime information precedence is anchored successful the quality and grade of the Chinese beingness successful the Indian Ocean. On the different hand, the different subordinate countries of the CSC look to not presumption the Chinese beingness successful the Indian Ocean arsenic a large information situation fixed their dependence connected Beijing arsenic a cardinal developmental partner. Therefore, a cautious equilibrium needs to beryllium achieved by India to code the question of increasing Chinese beingness successful the Indian Ocean.
Second, the CSC indispensable nonstop efforts to fortify an organization framework. At present, the radical operates astatine a National Security Adviser-level structure. With increasing synergies among its member-countries, the radical indispensable question to institutionalise practice specified that it remains accordant successful aligning policies with actionable pathways of cooperation.
Third, home uncertainties successful countries specified arsenic Bangladesh, and the ensuing interaction connected however Dhaka continues to prosecute with India and the different member-countries whitethorn tally the hazard of uncertainty implicit the group’s resilience.
Given this context, the CSC has made important advances successful heralding a caller model of practice successful a portion that suffers from a heavy deficiency of cohesion and convergence among countries connected issues of security. Efforts to ideate the mode up indispensable stay anchored successful the request to foster organization resilience and cohesion among its member-countries.
Harsh V. Pant is Vice-President, The Observer Research Foundation. Sayatan Haldar is Associate Fellow, Maritime Studies, The Observer Research Foundation
