Navy Chief R Hari Kumar arrives in Sri Lanka for four-day official visit

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar has been invited as the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer for the Commissioning Parade at the Naval and Maritime Academy

Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R Hari Kumar has arrived in Sri Lanka on an official visit from December 13-16. He has been invited as the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer for the Commissioning Parade at the Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA) scheduled to take place in Trincomalee on December 15.

Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka shared pictures of Admiral R Hari Kumar's arrival in the island nation on Twitter. Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka tweeted, "Admiral R Hari Kumar #CNS @indiannavy arrived in #SriLanka on an official visit. #CNS was warmly received by RAdm UNP Parera, COS @srilanka_navy on his arrival."

As part of the visit, Admiral R Hari Kumar will hold meetings with senior political and defence leadership of Sri Lanka. He will also visit other defence establishments of Sri Lankan armed forces and review the progress of activities related to various bilateral defence cooperation.

The Ministry of Defence in the press release noted, "The Indian Navy regularly interacts with the Sri Lanka Navy through the medium of annual Staff Talks and pursues several operational engagements at regular frequency." It stressed that Admiral R Hari Kumar's visit will further strengthen the bilateral defence cooperation with Sri Lanka, particularly in the maritime domain.

It further stated that the Indian Navy supports several capacity-building measures of Sri Lanka Navy, like the provision of naval platforms, including indigenously constructed Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and the Dornier aircraft of the Indian Navy deployed to Sri Lanka since August 2022.

Furthermore, the Indian navy remains actively involved in various capability enhancement projects, including training the Sri Lanka Navy personnel in India. According to the Ministry of Defence, Sri Lanka Navy is a regular participant of various multilateral engagements hosted by the Indian Navy, including the MILAN, Goa Maritime Conclave, and Admiral's Cup Sailing Regatta.

Earlier on December 6, Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India, Milinda Moragoda on Tuesday held a meeting with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Moragoda thanked Sitharaman for the brief emergency assistance India has provided to the island nation throughout its difficult period.

The Sri Lankan envoy also briefed the finance minister on Sri Lanka's ongoing discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the present status of the country's debt restructuring process, according to the official statement of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi.

Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi tweeted, "High Commissioner @MilindaMoragoda met with the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister of India @nsitharaman today (06) to review the status of bilateral economic cooperation.