Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R Hari Kumar has arrived Sri Lanka for an official visit from December 13 to 16. He has been asked to be the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer for the Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA) Commissioning Parade on December 15 in Trincomalee.
The Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka on Twitter published images of Admiral R Hari Kumar’s arrival on the island nation. According to the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka, “Admiral R Hari Kumar #CNS @indiannavy made an official visit to #SriLanka. On his arrival, RAdm UNP Parera, COS @srilanka navy, greeted him heartily.”
It is expected that Admiral R Hari Kumar will meet with Sri Lanka’s key political and military authorities as part of his tour. He will also tour other defence institutions of the Sri Lankan armed forces to examine the development of different bilateral defence cooperation operations.
Releasing a news statement, the Ministry of Defence stated, “The Indian Navy frequently engages with the Sri Lanka Navy through the medium of annual Staff Talks and pursues multiple operational engagements on a regular basis.” It emphasised that Admiral R Hari Kumar’s visit will deepen bilateral defence cooperation with Sri Lanka, particularly in the marine area.
It also stated that the Indian Navy supports several capacity-building measures taken by the Sri Lanka Navy, such as the provision of naval platforms, such as indigenously constructed Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and the Indian Navy’s Dornier aircraft, which has been deployed to Sri Lanka since August 2022.
Furthermore, the Indian Navy continues to be actively involved in different capability improvement programmes, such as training Sri Lanka Navy troops in India. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Sri Lanka Navy is a regular participant in several multilateral engagements held by the Indian Navy, such as the MILAN, Goa Maritime Conclave, and Admiral’s Cup Sailing Regatta.
Earlier on December 6, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda met with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
