Defence ties to expand further:
Indian Defence Secy meets President
Suraj A Bandara
The longstanding good defence relationship between India and Sri
Lanka should be further expanded and strengthened, Indian Defence
Secretary Pradeep Kumar said when he called on President Mahinda
Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday.
The defence dialogue on promoting bilateral relations between the two
countries should be further extended to include infantry and air force,
the Indian Defence Secretary said.
It was agreed that the two countries will have a joint naval exercise
in Sri Lankan waters next year. The Indian Defence Secretary informed
President Rajapaksa that India will offer more training opportunities
for the Sri Lankan Security Forces personnel in the future.
An Indian Air Force demonstration will be held in line with the
Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Sri Lanka Air Force next year, he
said.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa acknowledged the continuing good
relations between Sri Lanka and India and welcomed the initiatives to
strengthen defence cooperation in between the two countries.
The Indian Defence Secretary emphasized the importance of increasing
not only defence relations but also relations in all other spheres
between the two countries. He said he held comprehensive discussions
with both Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris and
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in this regard. Indian High
Commissioner in Sri Lanka Ashok K Kanta, Economic Development Minister
Basil Rajapaksa, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga, Defence
Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, External Affairs Ministry Secretary
Romesh Jayasinghe and a number of Indian Security Forces representatives
were present.
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