The Regional Centre for Maritime Studies (RCMS) at Kotelawala Defence University in Colombo organized a round table discussion on 11th May 2026 to discuss evolving maritime landscape in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The European Special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific, The European Union (EU) Ambassador in Sri Lanka, members of the EU Diplomatic community, Sri Lanka Institutional stakeholders involved in maritime, foreign policy and security issues, academics, thinktanks, policy experts specializing in maritime and strategic affairs  participated in this round table discussion. Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, a non-resident senior fellow of the Hongkong Research Center for Asian Studies moderated the session.

The key areas and main themes of the roundtable were structured around Strategic Importance of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka’s Maritime Role, European Engagement in the Indo-Pacific and Pathways for Sri Lanka- EU Cooperation. Maria De Los Angeles Castillo, EU special Envoy for the Indo-Pacific delivered the first keynote address titled “Strategic Importance of the Indian Ocean” and Dr K Sanath De Silva, Head of Department of Strategic Studies at Kotelawala Defence University delivered the second keynote address under the topic “Sri Lanka’s Maritime Role in the Indian Ocean”.

The Indian Ocean Region faces increasingly complex and interlinked challenges, including maritime security threats such as transnational organized crime, Illegal Unreported unregulated (IUU) fishing, trafficking, and piracy alongside intensifying geopolitical competition and strategic alignments. These dynamics highlight the importance of dialogue, trust building, and practical cooperation between regional and extra-regional actors. There are threats to freedom of navigation and ocean trade with states taking uni-lateral action to disturb the free flow of energy and goods. Withing this context the EU has reaffirmed its strategic engagement in the Indo-Pacific, emphasizing multilateralism, sustainable ocean governance, maritime security, and adherence to international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The RCMS was set up about a year ago with the funding and guidance of France and Netherland. The RCMS is dedicated to strengthening regional maritime capabilities by offering specialized training programs tailored for civil and military professionals in the IOR. With a focus on maritime safety, security and environmental protection. RCMS ensure a safer, more sustainable, and prosperous future for IOR.