In this photo taken on September 23, 2019, Sri Lankan military personnel jumped out of a helicopter and participated in training activities on the eastern coast of Trincomalee. Images for representative purposes. |Photo source: AFP
Several sources said a plan to conduct military activities between the Pakistani Navy and the Sri Lankan Navy after New Delhi conveyed its concerns to Colombo to Colombo.
Located on the northeast coast of Sri Lanka, Trincomalee is considered an important hub in the Indian Ocean region, especially for India’s maritime security interests.
Sources said the navies of the two countries plan to engage regularly and exercise will be carried out around the peritoneal group.
After they told India about concerns about practice, the plan failed. pti.
Sources said the joint exercise was planned weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Colombo.
As we all know, Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s navy have close ties with the two countries and warships often visit each other’s ports, in addition to playing war games.
Neither Sri Lanka nor Pakistan have official news about the program.
Military experts explained the strategic importance of trincomalee to India, saying it has the potential to dominate the Bay of Bengal and much of the northeastern Indian Ocean, while New Delhi expressed concern about the proposed exercise.
One expert said that the Pakistani Navy worked closely with China’s PLA Navy and New Delhi had reason to worry about any visits to the trincomalee by Pakistani warships.
In August 2022, the docking of the Chinese missile and satellite tracking ship “Yuan King” at the Hambantota port has triggered diplomatic operations between India and Sri Lanka.
Another Chinese warship docked at the Colombo port in August 2023 also caused some concerns in New Delhi.
Over the past few years, India has been focusing on expanding aid to Sri Lanka to develop the energy infrastructure of Trincomalee.
India is especially in revitalizing the fuel tank farm in the Limburg region, which is one of the best natural ports in the world.
During Modi’s visit to Colombo this month, India, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have set an ambitious agreement to develop trincomalee as an “energy hub” with broader goals to help the island countries achieve energy security and drive their economic growth.
It is worth noting that India and Sri Lanka also signed a defense agreement to institutionalize military cooperation after Mr. Modi’s talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The Defense Cooperation Agreement says the major attempts of the Indian-Sri Lanka defense ties have promoted the relationship nearly four decades after India’s peacekeeping force intervention in island countries.
India has been expanding its overall strategic ties with Sri Lanka as China seeks to increase its influence on island countries.
Three years ago, India handed over a Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft to Sri Lanka.
The aircraft was sent to Sri Lanka from Indian Navy stocks to help the country meet its immediate security requirements.
publishing – April 19, 2025 07:51 AM IST
