Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar Departs On Sri Lanka's Visit

Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral R Hari Kumar will visit Sri Lanka from 13 to 16 December, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence.

The CNS has been invited to be the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer at the Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee for the Commissioning Parade on 15 December.

The CNS will meet with Sri Lanka's senior political and military leaders during the visit. He would also visit other defence establishments of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and review the progress of various bilateral defence cooperation activities, according to the ministry.

The Indian Navy interacts with the Sri Lanka Navy on a regular basis through annual Staff Talks and pursues several operational engagements on a regular basis.

The Indian Navy also supports several capacity-building measures of the Sri Lanka Navy, such as the provision of naval platforms, such as indigenously built Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and Indian Navy Dornier aircraft deployed to Sri Lanka in August 2022.

Furthermore, the Indian Navy is still actively involved in various capability enhancement projects, such as training Sri Lanka Navy personnel in India.

The Sri Lanka Navy regularly participates in multilateral engagements hosted by the Indian Navy, such as the MILAN, Goa Maritime Conclave, Admiral's Cup Sailing Regatta and others.

According to the statement, the upcoming visit would strengthen the long-standing bilateral defence cooperation with Sri Lanka, particularly in the maritime domain.