Seychelles becomes 6th Colombo Security Conclave member

New Delhi: The Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) on Thursday included Seychelles as the sixth member state with the grouping gaining momentum as a key architecture to ensure stability of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

The decision was taken at the 7th National Security Adviser-level meeting of the CSC held here. NSA Ajit Doval hosted his counterparts from member states, including Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Seychelles participated as an observer state, and Malaysia as a guest.

The CSC members welcomed the decision of the Republic of Seychelles to be a full member of the group. The delegation from Seychelles was led by Major General Michael Rosette, Chief of Defence Forces, Republic of Seychelles Defence Forces. The decision by Seychelles to join as a full member of CSC comes after the election of the new president who has expressed desire to expand its ties with India.


Malaysia participated as a guest for the first time and was represented by Badrul Shah Mohd Idris, Deputy Director General of the Malaysian National Security Council.

Addressing the meeting, Doval said,"...The Ocean is our biggest heritage. As countries connected by maritime geography, it is our responsibility to ensure safety, security, and stability of the region,' Doval said.