The International Conference on Maritime Security, a two-day event jointly organized by the Consortium of South Asian Think Tanks (COSATT), the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), commenced today (15 May 2025) at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo. This year’s conference is held under the theme, “Maritime Security of Small, Middle, and Island Nations: Between Competition, Cooperation and Co-existence.”

The Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, attended the inaugural session as a Guest of Honour. The Chief of National Intelligence, Major General Ruwan Wanigasooriya (Retd), attended the conference representing the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence. Also attending as Guests of Honour wwer Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and the Chief of Staff of the Army, Major General Chandana WWickramasinghe.

The keynote address at the opening ceremony was delivered by the Commander of the Navy, setting the tone for a series of high-level discussions.

The conference brought together a distinguished gathering of scholars, policymakers and security professionals from across the region and beyond, including participants from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Singapore, Bangladesh, Germany and Sri Lanka. The event was further enriched by the presence of members of the diplomatic corps, academia from local and international universities, senior representatives from tri-services, relevant ministry officials and delegates from various national and international think tanks.