Indian Navy chief apprises Sri Lankan President of bilateral maritime engagements between two navies

COLOMBO: Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R Hari Kumar today held a meeting with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe. During the meeting, Admiral R Hari Kumar apprised Ranil Wickremesinghe of the progress of ongoing bilateral maritime engagements between India and Sri Lanka navies.

Indian Navy Spokesperson at IHQ MoD(Navy) and DPR, Ministry of Defence tweeted, "Adm R Hari Kumar #CNS on an official visit to Sri Lanka called on HE Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe, Hon'ble President of #SriLanka. The CNS apprised the President on the progress of ongoing bilateral maritime engagements between the #IndianNavy & the @srilanka_navy."

Notably, Admiral R Hari Kumar has been invited as the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer for the Commissioning Parade at the Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA) scheduled to take place in Trincomalee on December 15.

Earlier, CNS Admiral R Hari Kumar held a meeting with the state minister of Defence of Sri Lanka Premitha Bandara Tennakoon. During the meeting, he conveyed India's commitment towards bolstering defence cooperation between the two nations.

Indian Navy Spokesperson at IHQ MoD(Navy) and DPR, Ministry of Defence tweeted, "Adm R Hari Kumar #CNS met Hon'ble Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, State Minister of Defence of #SriLanka. The CNS conveyed #India's commitment towards strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, including opportunities for greater defence industry collaboration @IndiainSL @LkDefence."

On December 14, Admiral R Hari Kumar #CNS held a meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the importance of strong defence ties between India and Sri Lanka and the means to further bolster existing linkages between armed forces of the two nations.

During the ongoing visit, Admiral R Hari Kumar also held a meeting with Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage, Commander of the Sri Lankan army. Indian Navy Spokesperson tweeted, "Adm R Hari Kumar #CNS, during the ongoing visit in #SriLanka met Lt Gen Vikum Liyanage, Commander of @Sri_Lanka_Army. The interactions centred on common security challenges & bilateral defence cooperation between the Armed Forces."

He also visited the Sri Lankan Navy ship SLNS Sindurala and Naval facilities at Colombo port. During the interactions, the Sri Lankan navy leadership and the ship's crew acknowledged the operational utility of the offshore patrol vessels developed by Goa Shipyard Limited.

On December 13, Admiral R Hari Kumar held a meeting with Sri Lankan Navy Commander Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne at Navy Headquarters. During the meeting, the two sides held "fruitful discussions" on maritime security, issues of mutual interest and prospects for further strengthening cooperation between the two nations in the maritime sector.

Indian Navy spokesperson tweeted, "Adm R Hari Kumar #CNS on an official visit to #SriLanka 13 -16 Dec 22 met with VAdm Nishantha Ulugetenne, Commander of the @srilanka_navy. Fruitful discussions on #maritimesecurity matters of common interest & prospects for further enhancing cooperation in the maritime domain."

On December 13, Admiral R Hari Kumar also met Sri Lankan Defence Secretary General Kamal Gunaratne. During the meeting, the visiting Navy Chief and the Defence Secretary discussed military diplomacy between Sri Lanka and India. After the meeting, R Hari Kumar and General Kamal Gunaratne exchanged momentos, according to the statement released by Sri Lankan Defence Ministry.

Admiral R Hari Kumar also visited the National Defence College of Sri Lanka in Colombo. He held a meeting with Major General Amal Karunasekara, Commandant, of the National Defence College and the college faculty. The two sides called for further engagements between the National Defence Colleges of India and Sri Lanka.