Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is on a four-day official visit to Sri Lanka aimed at deepening bilateral defence cooperation. During his stay, Admiral Tripathi held comprehensive discussions with top Sri Lankan defence officials, focusing on naval collaboration and broader trilateral service-level synergy.

The visit reflects India’s continuing commitment to strengthening military-to-military engagement with its closest maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region.

Admiral Tripathi met Maj Gen KP Aruna Jayasekera, Deputy Minister of Defence; Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), Secretary Defence; Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, Commander of the Navy; Air Marshal VB Edirisinghe, Commander of the Air Force; and Lt Gen Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Army. The engagements highlighted the shared intent of India and Sri Lanka to expand strategic cooperation and ensure regional security stability amid emerging challenges.

According to the Indian Navy’s official statement, the talks underscored the resolve of both countries to expand operational interoperability across services.

Focus areas included advancing naval cooperation, enhancing maritime domain awareness, capacity building in the defence sector, and promoting joint training. Both sides also reaffirmed their interest in strengthening operational synergy through regular staff-level talks, exercises, and hydrography collaboration.

The talks come at a time when India has heightened its engagement with Sri Lanka due to increased Chinese activity in the island nation’s ports and defence sector. The Navy Chief emphasized India’s role as a reliable security partner in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Collaborative measures such as the Sri Lanka-India Naval Exercise (SLINEX), passage exercises, and regular hydrographic engagements were reaffirmed as key pillars of their defence relationship.

In a solemn ceremony, Admiral Tripathi laid a wreath at the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) Memorial in Colombo. The act symbolised India’s enduring respect for the sacrifices made during peacekeeping operations in Sri Lanka and reinforced a message of unity, regional peace, and deep-rooted friendship between the two countries.

This symbolic gesture also highlighted India’s long-standing role in ensuring security cooperation and supporting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

The visit is set against the broader backdrop of regional geopolitics where China has expanded its strategic footprint in Sri Lanka through port facilities, energy projects, and defence diplomacy. Admiral Tripathi’s engagements underscore India’s active effort to strengthen maritime partnerships, preserve freedom of navigation, and counter external influences that could destabilise the strategic balance in the Indian Ocean Region.

Agencies