DEFENCE Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and discussed ways to further strengthen the defence, economic, maritime and regional partnerships between the two countries. Singh arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday for a three-day visit, becoming the first Indian defence minister to visit the island nation in 38 years. “The two leaders held substantive discussions on issues covering the entire spectrum of the multi-faceted partnership between the two nations, characterised by traditionally warm relations and mutual trust,” the Indian Defence Ministry said. Singh conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s best wishes to Dissanayake and underlined that the citizens of the two countries share deep friendship based on strong historical and civilisational links and extended felicitations on the successful completion of two years of his Government. “The two sides reaffirmed that as civilisational twins, close neighbours & maritime partners, India and Sri Lanka would continue to work together for their development & welfare of the people while working jointly to ensure the safety, security, peace and prosperity of the region,” the Ministry said in a statement. Sindh later described his meeting with Dissanayake as “warm and extremely productive.”President Dissanayake recalled his interactions with PM Modi and reiterated that Sri Lanka would never allow its territory to be used for any activities inimical to India’s security interests, the statement said.

 

He also expressed his gratitude for the relief assistance provided by India as part of Operation Sagar Bandhu during Cyclone Ditwah and the comprehensive rehabilitation package extended by New Delhi to facilitate reconstruction and rehabilitation work. Singh said that, as a closest friend and neighbour of Sri Lanka, India considered it not a favour, but a responsibility to assist as the first responder and would continue to do so in the future as well. Both leaders virtually inaugurated three Bailey Bridges constructed by the Indian defence forces, the Ministry said. The two sides also exchanged MoUs on upgradation of L70 Guns for the Sri Lankan Air Force and cooperation between the National Cadet Corps and National Defence Colleges of both countries. The MoU on upgradation of six L70 guns for the Sri Lankan Air Force falls under an Indian government grant. The upgradation of these air defence guns will significantly strengthen the air defence architecture of critical assets in Sri Lanka, the statement said. A separate statement issued by the President’s Office said the two leaders held extensive discussions on further strengthening the existing defence, economic, maritime and regional partnerships between India and Sri Lanka. Dissanayake briefed Singh on the national program recently launched by Sri Lanka to combat drug trafficking and sought India’s fullest support in its efforts to combat the menace.

 

“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. “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.