Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi has revealed there is no recorded case of any Maldivians entering a designated conflict zone as a foreign terrorist fighter in the last three years. The minister made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the 5th Edition of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC).
The CSC was founded as a trilateral security framework between India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives with four pillars of security cooperation, covering marine safety and security, human trafficking, counter-terrorism, and cyber security. The two-day conclave, being hosted by the Maldives, is attended by the national security advisors and representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bangladesh, and Seychelles, in addition to the Maldives.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Mariya Didi reiterated the commitment of the government to the peace, security, and stability of the region and the view of CSC, despite its infancy, as a meaningful construct to tackle many of the pressing challenges faced by the countries. Highlighting the regional security challenges facing the Maldives such as narco-trafficking, human trafficking, piracy, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fisheries, counterterrorism, and violent extremism, Minister Mariya noted the assassination attempt on the Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed last year was a wakeup call for all.
She also welcomed Mau
ritius as the latest member state to the CSC, increasing its membership to four, and expressed hope that observer states will join the conclave soon.
The Maldives delegation at the CSC includes Minister Mariya, Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed, as well as Heads and Executives of the President's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Maldives Police Service (MPS), and National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC).