Pathfinder Foundation and India’s National Maritime Foundation hold second dialogue

Pathfinder Foundation delegation including Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, Former Navy Commander Admiral Jayanatha Perera and Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army General Daya Rathnayake with National Maritime Foundation Delegations in New Delhi

In continuation of their ongoing professional and intellectual engagement, the second round of annual bilateral dialogue between Pathfinder Foundation (PF) and National Maritime Foundation (NMF) of India was held in New Delhi recently.

The theme of the dialogue was ‘India-Sri Lanka Maritime Cooperation: Partnering for Future Challenges’. Eminent scholars and analysts of the two institutions comprised Director of the Centres for Indo-Lanka Initiatives and Law of the Sea, Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, Former Navy Commander; Admiral Jayanatha Perera and Former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army General Daya Rathnayake. The NMF was represented by its recently appointed Chairman, former Chief of Indian Navy, Admiral Sunil Lanba and Director General, Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan. 

The themes covered during the second PF-NMF dialogue were: ‘Identifying future maritime challenges’, ‘Avenues and challenges in cooperative maritime development’, ‘approaches to extra-regional maritime powers’ and ‘strengthening multilateral maritime constructs’. 

NMF is India’s sole think tank that concentrates with on the entire gamut of subjects and disciplines relevant to the maritime domain. NMF carryout intellectual, academic and interactive activities related to research, advocacy, and convening expert groups. It has also a vibrant and growing university outreach program that seeks to enhance maritime awareness amongst the youth and identify further schemes and disciplines leading to skill-development and job-creation within the maritime domain.

The geographic proximity between India and Sri Lanka within the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) has not only shaped much of the history of these two maritime nations, but also defined several of the maritime security contours of South Asia and, more broadly of the IOR itself. The Indian Ocean is one of the busiest and most critical maritime transportation links in the world. Upon the busy International Shipping Lanes (ISLs), that crisscross its waters, more than 120,000 ships and craft transit annually, carrying 66% of the world’s oil, 50% of global container traffic, and 33% of the world’s cargo traffic. Much of this trade passes abreast India and just south of Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka’s enviable geo-strategic position in the region, India’s maritime capabilities, and the cultural and historical relations of the two nations, have produced the entirely logical result of both nations preserving their organic identities, while proactively advancing cooperation. Sri Lanka is particularly important to India in the translation to reality of the latter’s vision of SAGAR and SAGARMALA projects. This is especially so, when considering the challenging contours of economic revival, connectivity, security, culture and identity of the two countries. Similarly, India is important to Sri Lanka in its quest for economic development. The two-day discussions culminated in identifying some key areas, which need attention and further study by both sides. Recommendations made included, undertaking joint research work on selected subjects, visits by Interns to the two institutes to carry out in situ studies and to produce an outcome document, which would be submitted to the strategic and policy makers of the two countries.