Navy Chief begins SL visit, will hold talks to expand maritime ties

Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Monday began a four-day visit to Sri Lanka to hold talks with the top military brass of the island nation for expanding bilateral defence ties in the maritime domain.

The Navy chief's visit comes amid concerns in New Delhi over China’s persistent attempts to expand its strategic influence in the island nation. In Colombo, Admiral Tripathi will also meet Sri Lanka Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and hold talks with the three service chiefs and other senior officials.

The talks will be focused on a broad spectrum of matters with emphasis on maritime security, capability enhancement, training and identifying avenues to strengthen bilateral cooperation, officials said.

“The Chief of Naval Staff’s engagements in Sri Lanka are structured at deepening bonds of friendship, paving the way for enhanced understanding in key areas of shared strategic and maritime interests, in line with the vision of ‘MAHASAGAR’,” an official readout said.

“The visit reaffirms the time-tested India-Sri Lanka relations, anchored on mutual respect, maritime trust and a shared vision for peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region,” it added.

Admiral Tripathi will also participate in the 12th edition of Galle Dialogue at Colombo on the theme ‘Maritime Outlook of the Indian Ocean under Changing Dynamics’. India has been eyeing to further expand maritime security cooperation with Sri Lanka.

In June, state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) decided to acquire a controlling stake in Sri Lanka’s Colombo Dockyard PLC under a $52.96 million deal, a move that is expected to expand India’s strategic presence in the island nation.

Indian Navy regularly interacts with its Sri Lankan counterpart through medium of annual defence dialogue and staff talks. The two navies also hold Sri Lanka-India Naval Exercise (SLINEX), passage exercises and regularly engage in training and hydrography exchanges.