New Delhi: Recognising shared safety pursuits and challenges within the Indian Ocean Area (IOR), India and Sri Lanka on Monday agreed to advance defence collaboration with New Delhi reiterating its continued dedication to working intently with Colombo in advancing the island nation’s maritime safety wants.
Throughout his bilateral dialogue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi’s Hyderabad Home on Monday, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake thanked India for its help by way of the supply of a Dornier Plane for maritime surveillance; and institution of the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in Sri Lanka amongst different help important for Sri Lanka to reinforce its maritime area consciousness.
“He additional appreciated India’s position as a ‘first responder’ for Sri Lanka within the discipline of Humanitarian Help and Catastrophe Aid. Importantly, the latest success in collaboration efforts of Indian and Sri Lanka Navies within the seizing of vessels trafficking a big amount of narcotics with suspects was talked about and President Dissanayake expressed his gratitude to the Indian Navy,” mentions the India-Sri Lanka Joint Assertion ‘Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future’ that was launched after the assembly between the 2 leaders.
The 2 sides additionally determined to discover the potential of concluding a framework settlement on defence cooperation.
With India being Sri Lanka’s closest maritime neighbour, Dissanayake reiterated Sri Lanka’s said place of not allowing its territory for use in any method inimical to the safety of India in addition to in direction of regional stability.
“I’ve given an assurance to the Prime Minister of India that we’ll not enable our land for use in any approach in a fashion that’s detrimental to the curiosity of India. The cooperation with India will definitely flourish and I need to reassure our continued help to India,” the visiting Lankan President said through the joint press convention.
The Joint Assertion detailed that each leaders acknowledged the significance of standard dialogue primarily based on mutual belief and transparency and giving primacy to one another’s safety considerations.
“As pure companions, each leaders underscored the widespread challenges confronted by the 2 international locations within the Indian Ocean Area and reaffirmed their dedication to work collectively in countering conventional and non-traditional threats in addition to to make sure a free, open, secure and safe Indian Ocean Area,” it talked about.
It was thus determined to discover the potential of concluding a framework settlement on defence cooperation; foster cooperation in hydrography; provision of defence platforms and property to reinforce Sri Lanka’s defence capabilities; intensify collaboration by way of joint workouts, maritime surveillance, and defence dialogue and exchanges; prolong help to strengthen capabilities of Sri Lanka on catastrophe mitigation, aid and rehabilitation, together with by way of coaching, joint workouts and sharing of finest practices; and, improve capability constructing and coaching for Sri Lankan defence forces and conduct tailormade coaching programmes, wherever required.
