Sri Lankan defence forces to get enhanced training from India, US

Jun 05, 2012 |

Colombo

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India and the US have agreed to provide enhanced training facilities to Sri Lankan defence personnel, a move aimed at strengthening security of busy sea lanes in the Indian Ocean.

The development came after Sri Lankan powerful Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa held meetings with Indian Defence Minister A. K. Anthony and Gen Martin Dempsey, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the margins of the Shangri-La security summit in Singapore last week.

"As two key strategic partners of Sri Lanka, both the US and India responded positively to a request made by Secretary of Defence for enhanced training opportunities for capacity building of defence personnel in their institutes of repute", the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka's delegation to the meetings was led by the country's External Affairs Minister G L Peiris.

As a coastal nation, the meetings recognised the pivotal role that Sri Lanka navy could play in strengthening the security of sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean and resolved to co-operate closely in drawing on their synergies in combating international terrorism, the statement said.

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