For the first time, the six ships of the Indian Navy's first training squadron have arrived in Sri Lanka on a four-day visit to further bolster the bilateral defence cooperation and to enhance the interoperability of the two forces, officials said.
The ships arrived in the ports of Colombo and Trincomalee on Sunday to conduct training with their Sri Lankan counterparts.
"The visit marks a milestone in the history of bilateral relations, wherein for the first time such a large number of Indian Navy ships have visited Sri Lanka,' the Indian High Commission said in a statement.
“Training has been one of the strongest and most enduring pillars of India - Sri Lanka bilateral defence cooperation and this visit will provide further impetus to the same. In line with the vision of both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to increase people-to-people connections between both countries, this visit will positively contribute towards strengthening the existing bonds of camaraderie and friendship between defence personnel of both the countries," the statement said.
The deployment is aimed to broaden the horizons of young officers and officer-trainees by exposing them to the socio-political and maritime facets of different countries in the Indian Ocean Region. The deployment will also expose the trainees onboard towards the conduct of IN warships in various evolutions at sea, port familiarisation, and above all, foster the bridges of friendship with foreign nations.