Sri Lanka, India to further strengthen defence ties

The cordial defence relations Sri Lanka enjoys with its giant neighbor India are to be expanded and strengthened further, especially in the field of training and service to service exchanges.


The Defence Secretary of India, Pradeep Kumar, who is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka on an invitation from his Sri Lankan counterpart Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, assured India's commitment to strengthen bilateral exchanges on issues common to both countries when he met Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday at the Temple Trees.


Kumar accompanied by a delegation of senior officers from the Indian ministries of Defence and External Affairs, as well as from the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard arrived in the island Monday and met Sri Lankan Defence Secretary and the External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris.
During discussions at the Ministry of Defence yesterday with Gotabhaya Rajapaksa the visiting official and his delegation has extensively reviewed the state of their defence cooperation and agreed to strengthen their existing links, especially in the field of training and service to service exchanges, a statement issued by the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.
Chief of the Defence Staff and Commander of the Air Force Air Chief Marshal Roshan Gunathilaka, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasooriya and Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe also attended yesterday's discussion between the two sides.
The two sides have agreed to hold a formal Annual Defence Dialogue beginning in 2011 and the Indian Defence Secretary has invited his Sri Lankan counterpart to visit India for the meeting.
President Rajapaksa and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their meeting in June this year arrived at a decision to initiate an annual Defence Dialogue. Following that decision a programme has been launched to improve defence relations between the two countries.
"Given the commonality of concerns of both India and Sri Lanka, including with respect to the safety and security of their sea lanes of communication, both sides agreed that these issues would inform their bilateral exchanges," the statement explained.
Indian Defence Secretary informed President Rajapaksa that India will offer 1,400 training placements for the Sri Lankan security service personnel.
During the discussions, India and Sri Lanka have agreed to commence staff-level talks between the navies and armies of the two countries and conduct a joint naval exercise between the two navies in 2011.
The two sides also have reviewed major ongoing projects, including reactivation of Palaly airport as a regional civil aviation hub and of Kankasanthurai harbour for regional and domestic trade and commerce.
Continuing the tradition of high-level exchanges, the Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force would pay a visit to Sri Lanka in January 2011, the Indian High Commission informed.
On behalf of the Indian Air Force Pradeep Kumar accepted an invitation to participate in the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Sri Lankan Air Force next year.
The visiting official is scheduled to pay a visit to the Sri Lanka Air Force Base in Katunayake before his departure for India on Wednesday (29).
During his visit, Kumar has also paid homage to the Indian Peace Keeping Force by laying a wreath at the IPKF memorial. He also visited the Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura on Tuesday.
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundara, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Foreign Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe and High Commissioner of India Ashok Kantha, participated in the discussions between Indian Defence Secretary and President Rajapaksa.
(Photos by Chandana Perera)