(UDHAYAM, COLOMBO) – Navy Commander Vice Admiral RC Wijegunaratne has assured India that there will be no activities against Indian interests in Sri Lanka’s land or sea.
Speaking to Indian media, the Navy Chief said “We assure the Indian government that nothing against India will happen in Sri Lankan land and waters around it.”
Commander RC Wijegunaratne is on a five-day official visit to India.
The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Sri Lanka and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.
According to Indian media, asserting that Chinese presence in Sri Lanka was purely for economic reasons, the Navy Chief said the security at the Colombo Financial City being built by a Chinese company would be entrusted to the Lankan Navy and not to the Chinese as is being speculated.
The Press Trust of India also said the Navy Chief hoped training of Lankan defence personnel at the Defence Service Staff College at Wellington in Tamil Nadu will recommence.