India reaffirms its commitment to the capacity and capability building of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. In a video message at the ‘India – Sri Lanka Defence Seminar cum Exhibition’ held in Colombo, the Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane, described Sri Lanka as a priority partner. He emphasised India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, stating that New Delhi is dedicated to fostering strong ties with its neighboring country.
The one day (June 7, 2023) exhibition was organised by the High Commission of India in an effort to identify and promote new areas of collaboration and cooperation between the two countries in the defence sector.
Aramane highlighted the shared security challenges faced in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), including terrorism, piracy, drugs and arms trafficking, and illegal migration. He also emphasized the need for active collaboration to address these challenges and create a safer environment.
The Defence Secretary in his video address underscored the significant developments taking place in the Indian defence sector. With the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, India aims to establish a robust research and development ecosystem, promote indigenous manufacturing, and encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. He talked about the importance of knowledge sharing in these areas to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka.
Notably, Sri Lanka is a major development partner for India, and the Government of India has extended a $150 million Defence Line of Credit to the Government of Sri Lanka, with $100 million already utilized. This financial assistance highlights the importance of defense cooperation in the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Exhibition
This was organised by the Indian mission with the aim to strengthen ties with the island state through collaborative and inclusive engagement, and to also identify new areas of cooperation for economic revival whilst ensuring capacity building of its armed forces.
Sri Lanka Armed Forces, Police and Special Task Force and entrepreneurs as well as Indian defence industries participated.
It has already been reported that Sri Lanka is operating several Indian military equipment including Army training simulators, Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels, Indra Radar, L70 Guns, and Dornier Aircraft. More recently, to ensure capacity building of the Sri Lanka forces, India has committed to set up Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Dornier aircraft and the supply of Floating Dock.