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India to expand defence co-op with Lanka during Premier Modi’s visit
View(s):- Six agreements in all; electricity connectivity project among them
By Chandani Kirinde
The defence sector agreement to be signed between Sri Lanka and India next week will expand on existing cooperation to include joint military exercises and maritime surveillance.
The defence sector MOU will be among the six that the two countries will sign during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka on Friday.
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said the two countries had agreed on enhancing cooperation in several areas, including defence, during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to India last December.
“We agreed on a basic framework in December and have now finalised the MOUs that will be signed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit here,” Mr. Herath told the Sunday Times.
The two countries have collaborated in the field of defence for many years, with India providing training and equipment for Lankan troops. A Dornier Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft was gifted by India in 2022 towards strengthening the maritime security of Sri Lanka, with Sri Lanka’s Navy and Air Force personnel receiving training in India to operate the aircraft.
In the joint statement issued last December, the two countries reiterated their commitment to ensuring a free, open, safe and secure Indian Ocean region and extending assistance to strengthen the capabilities of Sri Lanka in disaster mitigation, relief and rehabilitation, including through training and joint exercises.
Another of the MOUs to be signed will be for the Indo-Lanka electricity grid connectivity project to link Mannar with South India through an undersea cable.
Minister Herath said the aim is to convert Sri Lanka into an energy hub, and once the Indo-Lanka electricity grid gets connected, it will allow the country to export excess renewable energy through India and other countries in the region.
One MOU will also be with the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to enhance Sri Lanka’s efforts to improve delivery of government services to the public and other digitalisation programmes, while a multisector MOU covering the health, education, and agriculture sectors, too, will be signed.
An agreement for the construction of the Accident and Emergency Unit and provision of medical equipment to the Mannar General Hospital too will be signed.
During his visit, Mr. Modi will witness the virtual groundbreaking of the India-founded Sampur Solar Energy Project, which will be a joint venture between the Ceylon Electricity Board and India’s National Thermal Power Corporation.
The Indian leader will also travel to Anuradhapura and pay homage to the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi. While there, he will also launch the project for the installation of an electronic interlocking-based signalling system from Maho to Anuradhapura. It s being funded by an Indian grant.
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