- India and Sri Lanka has agreed to increase cooperation in security and defence spheres in several areas including (a)regional security (b) curbing drug smuggling (c)human trafficking and (d)training of Sri Lankan military personnel.
- Earlier,training of Sri Lankan defence personnel in India had been opposed by the former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister.She had opposed on the grounds that Sri Lankan army had been accused of killing at least 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians in the final months of the island’s 37-year guerrilla war that ended in May 2009.
- However,Indian Government does not want to stop the training of the Sri lankan military personnel.It would further push Sri lanka closer to China who have also offered similar training and military collaboration offers.
- Recently,Exercise MITRA SHAKTI was concluded in Sri Lanka.It is a military exercise between India and Srilanka.It is conducted annually as part of military diplomacy and interaction between the two countries.
- The aim of the exercise was to build and promote close relations between the armies of both the countries and to enhance the ability of joint exercise commander to take military contingents of both nations under command.
- The exercise was started in 2012 as a response to China’s efforts to increase its influence in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
