Admiral R Hari Kumar, Head Of The Indian Navy, Arrives In Sri Lanka For Four-Day Official Visit

On December 13, Colombo, Sri Lanka: Admiral R. Hari Kumar, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), is travelling on business to Sri Lanka from December 13–16. He has been asked to participate in the Naval and Maritime Academy’s (NMA) Commissioning Parade, which is set to take place in Trincomalee on December 15, as the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer.

Admiral R. Hari Kumar arrived at the island nation, and the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka tweeted images of his arrival. Admiral R. Hari Kumar #CNS @indiannavy arrived in #SriLanka on an official visit, the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka. RAdm UNP Parera, COS @srilanka navy, welcomed #CNS with open arms upon his arrival.

Admiral R. Hari Kumar will meet with prominent Sri Lankan political and military authorities during his visit. Additionally, he will tour additional defence facilities operated by the Sri Lankan military and assess how various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives are faring.

The Ministry of Defense stated: “The Indian Navy pursues many operational engagements on a monthly basis and routinely communicates with the Sri Lanka Navy through the means of annual Staff Talks.” It emphasised that Admiral R. Hari Kumar’s visit will further solidify Sri Lanka and bilateral defence cooperation, particularly in the maritime sector.

It went on to say that the Indian Navy supports many initiatives taken by the Sri Lankan Navy to improve its capacity, including the deployment of naval platforms such locally built Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) and Indian Navy Dornier aircraft that have been stationed in Sri Lanka since August 2022.

The Indian Navy is still actively involved in a number of projects aimed at improving its capabilities, one of which involves training Sri Lankan Navy officers there. The Indian Navy regularly hosts a number of multilateral engagements, including MILAN, Goa Maritime Conclave, and Admiral’s Cup Sailing Regatta. The Sri Lanka Navy is a regular participant in these events, the Ministry of Defence.

Earlier on December 6, Nirmala Sitharaman, the Union Finance Minister, and Milinda Moragoda, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, met. Moragoda praised Sitharaman for the brief emergency aid that India has given to the island nation during its trying time.

The official statement of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi, the Sri Lankan envoy also updated the finance minister on Sri Lanka’s ongoing conversations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the current situation of the nation’s debt restructuring process.

In response to a tweet from the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi, “High Commissioner @MilindaMoragoda met with India’s Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister @nsitharaman today (06), to discuss the situation of bilateral economic cooperation.”