Security of India, Sri Lanka enhanced by mutual understanding, trust and cooperation: Indian Envoy

Hailing the ties between the two countries, India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay said that mutual understanding, mutual trust & cooperation are the key aspects of enhanced security between Sri Lanka and India and gifting of Dornier 228 has added to the cause.

Hailing the ties between the two countries, India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay said that mutual understanding, mutual trust and cooperation are the key aspects of enhanced security between Sri Lanka and India and gifting of Dornier 228 has added to the cause. "Security of India & Sri Lanka is enhanced by mutual understanding, mutual trust & cooperation," Baglay said at handing over event of Dornier Aircraft.

"Gifting of Dornier 228 is India's latest contribution to this cause," Baglay said. The aircraft is being provided for an interim period of two years till a plane being manufactured in India for Sri Lanka is ready. The aircraft comes as a sequel to the dialogue between India and Sri Lanka that took place on January 9, 2018, in New Delhi, when the Sri Lankan government sought the possibility of obtaining two Dornier Reconnaissance Aircraft from India.

Notably, handing over of the Dornier aircraft by India comes a day before the Chinese ship 'Yuan Wang 5' will dock at the southern port of Hambantota on Tuesday for a week. Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister confirmed that the Chinese vessel 'Yuan Wang-5', widely believed to be a spy ship, has been given clearance to arrive at Hambantota Port on August 16.

Hambantota port, located around 250 km from Colombo was built with high-interest Chinese loans. The Sri Lankan government struggled to repay the debt they had taken from China following which the port was handed over to the Chinese on a 99-year lease. The Indian Naval Dornier (INDO - 228) is basically a Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL), multirole light transport aircraft used by the Indian Navy for electronic warfare missions, maritime surveillance, disaster relief, and other work with a turboprop twin-engine, produced since 1981.

The Sri Lankan Air Force intends to effectively employ the Dornier aircraft specifically to conduct Maritime and Coastal Surveillance Operations within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Search and Rescue Operations (SAR), Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC), and Maritime Pollution Monitoring and Control within Sri Lankan Search and Rescue Region (SRR) to attain SLAF ultimate vision of "Ensuring the National Security through Effective Employment of Airpower" within Sri Lankan Airspace. (ANI)

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