India and Sri Lanka this week conducted their first-ever fully fledged joint naval exercises off the island’s western coast, carrying out various manoeuvres, including professional fleet managment and mid-sea transfer of personnel between ships.
Two Indian Navy warships, INS Sukanya and INS Kirpan, together with an Indian Navy helicopter and a Donnier aircraft participated with three Sri Lankan navy ships, a gunboat and a fast attack craft
Sri Lanka’s navy conducted a similar exercise recently with India’s Coast Guard.
"This was the first exercise involving the two navies, though there had been a regular interaction," said Sri Lankan Naval spokesman Jayantha Perera was quoted as saying.
"The exercise was purely a professional one, involving fleet manoeuvre, boarding of pirate vessels and mid-sea transfer between ships," Perera said.
INS Kirpan is a corvette, indigenously designed and built in India by the garden reach shipyard of Kolkatta. Sukanya is an offshore patrol vessel and has served as the flagship and the presidential yacht for the President of India.
They are based at Vishakhapatnam and are part of the Indian Navy’s eastern fleet.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command visited Sri Lanka this week.
He met with the Service Commanders of the Sri Lankan armed forces, Vice Admiral W. K. J Karannagoda, Air Marshal G. D Perera, Lt. Gen. G.S.C Fonseka, Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral D.W. K Sandagiri and the Prime Minister/Deputy Minister of Defence, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake.
“These friendly discussions focused on ongoing bilateral cooperation,” a statement by the Indian Embassy in Colombo said.
The Indian Army’s Eastern Commander Lt.Gen B.S. Thakar was also in Colombo earlier this month to exchange views with regard to the defence issues.
WSWS: India's 'Suez Canal' [Dec. 14, 2005]
Two Indian Navy warships, INS Sukanya and INS Kirpan, together with an Indian Navy helicopter and a Donnier aircraft participated with three Sri Lankan navy ships, a gunboat and a fast attack craft
Sri Lanka’s navy conducted a similar exercise recently with India’s Coast Guard.
"This was the first exercise involving the two navies, though there had been a regular interaction," said Sri Lankan Naval spokesman Jayantha Perera was quoted as saying.
"The exercise was purely a professional one, involving fleet manoeuvre, boarding of pirate vessels and mid-sea transfer between ships," Perera said.
INS Kirpan is a corvette, indigenously designed and built in India by the garden reach shipyard of Kolkatta. Sukanya is an offshore patrol vessel and has served as the flagship and the presidential yacht for the President of India.
They are based at Vishakhapatnam and are part of the Indian Navy’s eastern fleet.
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Commander in Chief of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command visited Sri Lanka this week.
He met with the Service Commanders of the Sri Lankan armed forces, Vice Admiral W. K. J Karannagoda, Air Marshal G. D Perera, Lt. Gen. G.S.C Fonseka, Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral D.W. K Sandagiri and the Prime Minister/Deputy Minister of Defence, Ratnasiri Wickramanayake.
“These friendly discussions focused on ongoing bilateral cooperation,” a statement by the Indian Embassy in Colombo said.
The Indian Army’s Eastern Commander Lt.Gen B.S. Thakar was also in Colombo earlier this month to exchange views with regard to the defence issues.
WSWS: India's 'Suez Canal' [Dec. 14, 2005]
