Just over a year after Sri Lanka and India signed an umbrella Defense Cooperation Agreement, Rajnath Singh, India’s defence minister, visited Sri Lanka this week. His visit is the first in nearly four decades.
The five-year agreement was the first time that the two neighbouring nations agreed to a formal framework for defense cooperation. Nearly four decades after the Indian Peacekeeping Forces pulled out of the island, analysts said the pact marked a milestone in renewed bilateral relations. But the agreement is secret, raising concerns about transparency.
Vijitha Herath, the foreign minister, told The Examiner that Singh’s visit this week wasn’t to review the agreement. Nor would the visit review its implementation. Instead, it aimed to “strengthen bilateral ties”.
“India’s defence minister is a mature leader within Indian politics. He’s coming to Sri Lanka to strengthen the ties between India and Sri Lanka, not just for defense matters,” he said at the cabinet briefing held on Tuesday.
Talks didn’t just focus on defence, but as Singh is a senior Indian minister, discussions were wide-ranging covering the broader relationship between the two countries, an Indian High Commission spokesperson said over the phone.
First in four decades
“Obviously India is putting Sri Lanka firmly into its strategic security framework,” said J.J. Ranasinghe, a former chief of staff of the Sri Lanka Navy.
Sea lanes connecting the Middle East, Africa, and Asia pass Sri Lanka. As such, even far-off countries like the US want the waters surrounding Sri Lanka to be a peaceful zone — a fact that would likely have been in Singh’s mind during the visit, he added.
Focus on maritime security
MAHASAGAR, India’s vision for expanding its ocean influence, has resulted in greater Indian attention to island nations of late. The visit to Sri Lanka is Singh’s only second bilateral visit in three years to another South Asian country. He last made an official call in 2023, to the Maldives, also for three days.
Singh said Sri Lanka is a friendly neighbour, longstanding friend, and reliable partner for India.
Maritime security was at the centre of Singh’s visit. Both aboard the Indian navy frigate, INS Udayagiri, in Colombo on a port call, and at the Akuragoda defence headquarters, where Sri Lanka’s armed forces commanders were in the audience, Singh focused on maritime security.
According to him, Sri Lanka’s strategic location — overlooking the Indian ocean and intersecting maritime trade routes — is important for both growth and security.
Maritime safety, counter terrorism, cyber-security, and organised crime have become more relevant than ever before, said Singh.
He foresees a future where the two countries develop an integrated maritime domain awareness system — which is a way for ships from cooperating countries to automatically share their locations and intelligence, using satellites and radar. Such a system can help provide comprehensive maritime information on a real time basis to address issues like illegal fishing, narcotics smuggling, and terrorism.
