The agreements cover L70 gun system upgrades, academic cooperation between the two countries’ defence colleges and ties between their cadet corps, as Colombo seeks stronger regional and maritime cooperation with New Delhi
India and Sri Lanka on Wednesday exchanged three new agreements to strengthen defence and institutional cooperation during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s meeting with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo, according to a statement from the Sri Lankan President’s Office.
The two sides also inaugurated three Bailey bridges built with Indian assistance to restore road connectivity damaged by Cyclone Ditwah.
The agreements cover the modernisation and upgrading of L70 gun systems for the Sri Lanka Air Force, academic cooperation between India’s National Defence College and Sri Lanka’s National Defence College, and bilateral cooperation between the Sri Lanka Cadet Corps and the Indian Cadet Corps.
Singh is on an official visit to Sri Lanka aimed at further strengthening bilateral ties. His visit is particularly significant as it marks the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to the country in 38 years.
During his meeting with Dissanayake at the President’s Office, the two leaders discussed ways to expand cooperation in defence, economic and maritime sectors, as well as regional security and the broader India-Sri Lanka partnership.
The Sri Lankan president highlighted his government’s programme to combat drug trafficking, saying the Indian Ocean had become a hub for the movement of narcotics and seeking India’s support in tackling the problem.
Dissanayake also expressed confidence that India would help bring back Sri Lankan drug traffickers currently imprisoned in India, according to the President’s Office.
The president appreciated the assistance provided by India during Sri Lanka’s recent difficulties and said Colombo would continue supporting efforts to maintain the Indian Ocean as a peaceful region.
He also stressed that Sri Lanka, as a sovereign country, would enter into agreements with different nations while taking regional security considerations into account.
Singh, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of Sri Lanka under India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and praised the steps taken under Dissanayake’s leadership over the past two years to strengthen bilateral relations.
The two sides also discussed the long-standing fisheries dispute, including India’s possible contribution to protecting the livelihoods of Sri Lankan fishermen and joint efforts to find a solution to the issue.
The three agreements were exchanged in the presence of Dissanayake and Singh by Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Defence (Retd.) Major General Aruna Jayasekara and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha.
The leaders later joined an online inauguration of three Bailey bridges constructed in Sri Lanka’s Kurunegala and Batticaloa districts with a grant from the Indian government.
The bridges, built along the Pansiyagama–Kurunegala, Kebellawa–Kurunegala and Palugamam–Batticaloa roads, are part of India’s rehabilitation assistance to restore essential road connectivity following Cyclone Ditwah. The structures were subsequently opened for public use.
Dissanayake also praised the contribution of the Indian Army to restoring infrastructure damaged by the cyclone, expressing confidence that the new agreements would strengthen the capabilities of Sri Lanka’s defence forces and deepen bilateral defence cooperation, the statement said.
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