Sri Lankan navy rejects reports of holding war games with Pakistan

PTI

Colombo, August 14

The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday rejected as “fallacious” media reports that it would hold war games with a Pakistani warship docked at the Colombo port but confirmed that it would hold a “Passage Exercise” in the western seas with PNS Taimur as it leaves the island nation.

Reports fallacious

Certain media reports circulating about a ‘war game’ between Sri Lanka navy and Pakistan navy are fallacious. Lankan navy statement

The docking of Pakistan’s newly-commissioned Chinese-built frigate at the Colombo port on Friday came amid Sri Lankan Government allowing a high-tech Chinese research ship to visit the southern port of Hambantota from August 16 till 22 for “replenishment purposes” despite India’s concern over the vessel’s presence in its neighbourhood.

Sri Lanka allowed PNS Taimur to make a port call in Colombo while on its way to join the Pakistan navy fleet after the Bangladesh Government denied it permission to dock at Chattogram port.

The Sri Lankan Navy in a statement on Sunday said the Pakistan Navy Ship (PNS) Taimur, which arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday on a formal visit, is scheduled to conduct a Passage Exercise with SLNS Sindurala in seas off Colombo as she departs the island nation on August 15 upon completion of her visit. “In this backdrop, certain media reports circulating about a ‘war game’ between Sri Lanka navy and Pakistan navy are fallacious,” the release said.

It said that the Sri Lanka navy, with the concurrence of foreign navies, conducts Passage Exercises as a routine engagement when their visiting naval ships depart the island after making official port calls.

“The prime motive of these efforts is to enhance interoperability, partnerships and goodwill as well as exchange best practices with foreign navies,” it said.

It said the Sri Lankan navy had conducted similar Passage Exercises with the navies of countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, Germany, UK, Russia and Australia on a number of previous occasions.

“Conducting similar naval exercises with regional and extra-regional navies will enable each partner to overcome common maritime challenges in the future, through enhanced cooperation,” the statement said.

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