Sri Lanka & India to Sign 3 Key Defence Agreements 📈

Sri Lanka and India are set to strengthen their strategic ties with the exchange of three bilateral defence cooperation agreements during Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s official visit. • Agreement Scope: • Cadet Training: MoU between the National Cadet Corps of Sri Lanka and India to enhance institutional cooperation. • Defence Education: MoU between Sri Lanka’s National Defence College and India’s National Defence College in New Delhi for academic and professional collaboration. • Air Defence Maintenance: Indian technical support for maintaining the Sri Lanka Air Force's L70 air defence systems. • Technical & Fleet Details: • India supplied 24 units of 40mm L70 air defence weapons to Sri Lanka between 2000 and 2006. • Free maintenance support has already been completed on 18 units in recent years. • The new pact covers free-of-charge maintenance support for the remaining 6 units. • Strategic Impact: Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath noted that the agreements will be exchanged during talks with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to consolidate military ties and expand regional cooperation.