{"id":76739,"date":"2022-03-29T00:45:38","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T04:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=76739"},"modified":"2022-03-29T18:52:38","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T22:52:38","slug":"sri-lanka-signs-two-unannounced-maritime-security-agreements-with-india-on-march-16-to-receive-a-floating-dock-facility-and-dornier-reconnaissance-aircra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/?p=76739","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka Signs Two \u201cUnannounced\u201d Maritime Security Agreements with India on March 16 to Receive a \u201cFloating Dock Facility\u201d and \u201cDornier Reconnaissance Aircraft\u201d free of Charge; Another MOU signed by the Indian and Sri Lankan Foreign Ministers on March 28 will set up \u201cMaritime Rescue Coordination Centers\u201d by India in 7 ports Including Hambantota in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nBy<\/p>\n

Meera Srinivasan<\/strong><\/p>\n

A media clarification issued by Sri Lanka\u2019s Ministry of Defence has brought to light two recent defence pacts it has signed with India that neither side officially announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recently signed maritime security pacts with the Government of India will not result in hindrance or threat to the national security of Sri Lanka,\u201d said a media statement issued by the Ministry on Tuesday. <\/p>\n

It referred to the \u201cthe receipt of Floating Dock Facility from the Government of India at no cost\u201d and the provision of \u201cDornier Reconnaissance Aircraft\u201d by India to Sri Lanka \u201cfree of charge\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ministry of Defence spokesman Colonel Nalin Herath told The Hindu on Tuesday that both pacts were signed on March 16, by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence from the Sri Lankan side, and an official of the Indian High Commission in Colombo.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\nOpposition concerns<\/strong><\/p>\n

The apparent secrecy around the development until now comes even as some in Sri Lanka\u2019s political opposition flagged the agreements as \u201cthreats\u201d to Sri Lanka\u2019s national security and sovereignty. Sri Lanka \u201chas sold its air space\u201d, alleged Harin Fernando, a vocal MP from the main opposition party Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB).<\/p>\n

\u201cSri Lanka runs the risk of getting involved in a regional war owing to these agreements as India will get the opportunity of controlling Sri Lankan waters and skies, while China controls the port in Hambantota,\u201d Mr. Fernando told Parliament. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), also in opposition, has accused the government of signing key defence agreements with India in return for the $1 billion assistance extended recently. <\/p>\n

India has extended $ 2.4 billion support to Sri Lanka since the beginning of this year, to help the island nation cope with a severe economic meltdown. Since January, India has also signed several key bilateral agreements with Sri Lanka, including the joint development of the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farms, and three major power projects in the north and east, involving the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Adani Group, apart from the recent pacts on maritime security.<\/p>\n

While both the floating dock, and the Dornier aircraft have figured in bilateral discussions for some time, the actual signing of the agreements a fortnight ago was not officially confirmed until Tuesday. \u201cThe receipt of Floating Dock Facility from the Government of India at no cost has been projected to reduce the annual outlay of LKR. 600 million for outsourced docking repairs and this proposal has been in the pipeline since year 2015,\u201d the MoD said.<\/p>\n

The Dornier Reconnaissance Aircraft is deployed for maritime surveillance, search and rescue operations and to deliver information to various required platforms. \u201cThe unavailability of this capability was the motive for bilateral dialogues between the Governments of India and Sri Lanka during the last couple of years and it was agreed upon to provide one Dornier Reconnaissance Aircraft to Sri Lanka free of charge,\u201d the MoD statement said. An Indian training team will stay in the island until the Sri Lanka Air Force gains required expertise, it added.<\/p>\n

India\u2019s assistance for greater maritime surveillance in Sri Lanka coincides with New Delhi\u2019s own efforts to enhance Indian Ocean security, regional cooperation and intelligence sharing, as was underscored at the NSA-level meet of the Colombo Security Conclave. Addressing the forum held in the Maldives recently, NSA Ajith Doval called for a regional response to maritime challenges.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a third maritime security pact was signed on Monday, when visiting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris. It found specific mention in the Indian High Commission\u2019s press release, listed among the \u201cMOU for providing Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC)\u201d among agreements signed. The MRCC\u2019s network, to be set up by Bharat Electronics Ltd, will span seven sub-unit naval bases across the Sri Lankan coast, including in the southern port town of Hambantota, where China runs a large port. <\/p>\n


\nCourtesy:The Hindu<\/em><\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Meera Srinivasan A media clarification issued by Sri Lanka\u2019s Ministry of Defence has brought to light two recent defence pacts it has signed with India that neither side officially announced. \u201cThe recently signed maritime security pacts with the Government of India will not result in hindrance or threat to the national security of Sri …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka Signs Two \u201cUnannounced\u201d Maritime Security Agreements with India on March 16 to Receive a \u201cFloating Dock Facility\u201d and \u201cDornier Reconnaissance Aircraft\u201d free of Charge; Another MOU signed by the Indian and Sri Lankan Foreign Ministers on March 28 will set up \u201cMaritime Rescue Coordination Centers\u201d by India in 7 ports Including Hambantota in Sri Lanka’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[12],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76739"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76739"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76739\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76741,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76739\/revisions\/76741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dbsjeyaraj.com\/dbsj\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}