Bangladesh, India and other Member States will sit together in New Delhi on Thursday to promote closer cooperation on vital matters of security and to strengthen partnership for enhancing regional security in the Indian Ocean region.
India is hosting the 7th meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC).
Indian NSA Ajit Doval will host his counterparts from Member States including Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Seychelles is participating as an Observer State, and Malaysia has been invited as a Guest.
In keeping with this vision and objective, the 7th meeting of the NSAs will be an opportunity for the participants to review the activities under the different pillars of cooperation, namely- maritime safety and security; countering terrorism and radicalization; combating transnational organized crime; cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and discuss the roadmap and action plan for 2026, said the host country- India.
Earlier, National Security Adviser (NSA) and High Representative for the Rohingya Issue Dr Khalilur Rahman on Wednesday met his Indian counterpart Doval in New Delhi.
“They discussed work of the CSC (Colombo Security Conclave) and key bilateral issues,” said an official at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
Dr Rahman invited Doval to visit Bangladesh at his convenience.
Bangladesh delegation to the seventh NSA-level meeting of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), led by Dr Rahman, met with the NSA of India and his team, said the High Commission.
Dr Rahman reached New Delhi on Tuesday night at the invitation of National Security Adviser of India Ajit Doval to attend this regional forum, the official told UNB.
“I don’t want to interfere with the agenda that he (Dr. Rahman) has,” Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said when asked whether his colleague would raise the extradition issue with India amid Dhaka’s renewed call for former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extradition.
Adviser Hossain, however, said if feels necessary he (Dr Rahman) can certainly raise the issue but they will go by through their official channel.
Bangladesh on Monday urged the government of India to immediately hand over former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, both convicted already, to its authorities.
The 6th meeting of the NSAs of CSC was held in December 2023 in Mauritius, and Member States met again during the Signing Ceremony for the Founding Documents of CSC in Sri Lanka in August 2024.
The Deputy National Security Advisers (DNSAs) of CSC countries have also been meeting at regular intervals.
The CSC’s core objective is to promote regional security by addressing transnational threats and challenges of common concern to the Member States.
NSA Dr Rahman’s participation at the Colombo Security Conclave in New Delhi is in continuation of the interim government's efforts to foster mutually beneficial regional cooperation, Bangladesh said.
The interim government emphasises regional cooperation as a priority and has actively participated in meetings of various regional bodies.
In April this year, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus was elected Chair of BIMSTEC. He has been working hard to reactivate SAARC, said the press wing.
NSA Dr Rahman earlier led a Bangladesh delegation to the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum in Kunming, China.
Bangladesh was officially welcomed in 2024 as the fifth Member State of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), a grouping that includes India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and the Maldives. Seychelles participates with observer status.