Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and discussed ways to further strengthen defence, economic, maritime and regional ties between the two countries. Singh, who arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday for a three-day visit, is the first Indian defence minister to visit the island nation in 38 years.
The talks covered the broader India-Sri Lanka partnership, including security, development, rehabilitation support, military cooperation and regional peace. The two sides also exchanged agreements on upgrading Sri Lankan Air Force guns and on cooperation between the National Cadet Corps and National Defence Colleges of the two countries.
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The Indian defence ministry said the two leaders held substantive discussions on issues covering the entire spectrum of the multi-faceted partnership between the two nations, marked by traditionally warm relations and mutual trust. Singh conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s best wishes to Dissanayake and said the people of the two countries share deep friendship based on strong historical and civilisational links. He also extended felicitations on the successful completion of two years of Dissanayake’s government.
According to the ministry, both sides reaffirmed that, as civilisational twins, close neighbours and maritime partners, India and Sri Lanka would continue to work together for their development and for the welfare of their people, while jointly ensuring the safety, security, peace and prosperity of the region. Singh later described his meeting with Dissanayake as “warm and extremely productive”.
The statement said Dissanayake recalled his interactions with Modi and reiterated that Sri Lanka would never allow its territory to be used for any activities inimical to India’s security interests. He also thanked India for relief assistance provided under Operation Sagar Bandhu during Cyclone Ditwah and for the comprehensive rehabilitation package extended by New Delhi for reconstruction and rehabilitation work.
Singh said that, as Sri Lanka’s closest friend and neighbour, India considered such support not a favour but a responsibility, and would continue to act as the first responder in the future as well. The two leaders also virtually inaugurated three Bailey Bridges constructed by the Indian defence forces, the ministry said.
The two sides exchanged memorandums of understanding on the upgradation of six L70 guns for the Sri Lankan Air Force and on cooperation between the National Cadet Corps and the National Defence Colleges of both countries. The ministry said the gun upgrade, funded under an Indian government grant, would significantly strengthen the air defence architecture of critical assets in Sri Lanka.
In a separate statement, the President’s Office said the two leaders held extensive discussions on strengthening existing defence, economic, maritime and regional partnerships. Dissanayake briefed Singh on Sri Lanka’s recently launched national programme to combat drug trafficking and sought India’s fullest support. “The President also expressed hope that India would extend its fullest support towards extraditing Sri Lankan drug traffickers currently serving prison sentences in India,” the statement said.
Dissanayake also said Sri Lanka would continue to support efforts to maintain peace in the Indian Ocean region. “He emphasised that Sri Lanka makes decisions taking into consideration both national and regional interests, and that, as a sovereign state, Sri Lanka enters into various agreements with countries around the world while remaining mindful of regional security,” the statement added. Singh appreciated Sri Lanka’s contribution towards maintaining the Indian Ocean region as a peaceful zone free from conflict.
The President’s Office said Dissanayake expressed confidence that the new agreements concluded during the visit would help enhance the capabilities of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and further strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries. It added that special attention was paid to the fisheries issue, with discussions focusing on securing India’s support to safeguard the principal livelihood of Sri Lankan fishermen and on both countries working together to resolve the matter.
Later in the day, Singh called on Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and exchanged views on development cooperation, education and the close cultural and civilisational ties between India and Sri Lanka. In a post on X, he said, “I underlined that as sister democracies with shared heritage, India and Sri Lanka should continue to work on a shared developmental vision for the peace and prosperity of our region.” An official statement said he also underlined the importance of capacity building as one of the key pillars of cooperation and conveyed that he hoped the visit would give further momentum to the historic and multi-faceted India-Sri Lanka partnership.
Singh also said Amarasuriya is one of the role models for women not only in Sri Lanka but also in India, describing her as a symbol of women’s empowerment and “Nari Shakti”. During the visit, he called on the senior military leadership of Sri Lanka, many of whom, he said, had been trained in India and shared a close bond with Bharat.
The minister also visited the Indian Peace Keeping Force memorial in Colombo and paid homage to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the call of duty. He later visited the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo and sought the blessings of Lord Buddha. Overall, Singh’s visit focused on deepening defence cooperation, expanding broader bilateral engagement and underlining the role of India and Sri Lanka as close neighbours and maritime partners in the region.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
