In boost to ties, India inks key defence pact with Sri Lanka

A defence cooperation agreement finalised by India and Sri Lanka on Saturday, the first pact of its kind, will make existing initiatives more structured and lead to more joint exercises and potential defence industry collaboration, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said.

The memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation marks the first refresh of ties in this important sector since India’s troubled intervention in Sri Lanka’s civil war in the late 1980s, and comes at a time when India has been concerned about China’s increasing presence in its strategic backyard.

The agreement triggered protests by hardline political elements in Sri Lanka, such as the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), whose leaders described it as a “betrayal” of the island nation’s interests. Sri Lanka’s defence secretary Sampath Thuyacontha, however, said activities under the MoU will be in line with international best practices and wouldn’t conflict with the national policies of Sri Lanka or India.

After the MoU was unveiled at an event attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Misri told a media briefing in Colombo that the agreement was the outcome of “very good conversations” between the two leaders that began last December when Dissanayake visited New Delhi.

“A point of really close convergence in the narratives from both sides has been a recognition of the completely interlinked nature of the national security of Sri Lanka and India,” Misri said.

He noted that Dissanayake had on several occasions, including his visit to India last year and during Saturday’s discussions, stated “very clearly that Sri Lankan territory will not be used or be allowed to be used in any manner that is inimical or detrimental to India’s interests”.

At Saturday’s discussions, Dissanayake stated that “neither Sri Lanka’s land nor the oceans around it will be allowed to be used in any manner inimical to India’s security”, Misri added.

Dissanayake’s latest remarks are being seen as significant in light of New Delhi’s concerns about visits to Sri Lanka and regional waters by China’s so-called research vessels, which are equipped with sophisticated equipment that allows them to snoop on India’s coastal defences and maritime infrastructure. While Sri Lanka had imposed a moratorium on visits by all such foreign vessels last year, it expired in December.

Misri said the MoU on defence cooperation is an “umbrella framework document” that will make existing cooperation initiatives more structured, and lead to more high-level visits, joint exercises, capacity building in various areas and exchanges for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

The MoU will also lead to increased port calls by naval vessels of both countries and the exploration of defence industry cooperation, Misri said.

In addition to regular visits by service chiefs from both sides, India and Sri Lanka hold an Annual Defence Dialogue of the defence secretaries to review bilateral cooperation. Bilateral army and naval exercises are held every year, alternatively in India and Sri Lanka.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) for the Sri Lankan Navy, created with an Indian grant, was commissioned in June 2024, and an Indian Navy Dornier aircraft has been operated by the Sri Lankan Air Force at Trincomalee since August 2022 for maritime surveillance. India also offers around 1,200 training slots for Sri Lanka’s armed forces every year.

Sri Lanka’s defence secretary Thuyacontha also told local media the defence partnership with India has been an “invaluable asset” and both sides had agreed at the defence dialogue in 2023 to further strengthen ties through a formal MoU. This MoU was “meticulously scrutinised [and] reviewed” and the approval of the cabinet was obtained prior to signing it, he said.

And while the agreement will help both sides to turn the page on the episode involving the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKP) which was deployed in the island nation between July 1987 and March 1990, the Indian side also honoured the 1,155 Indian soldiers killed during the intervention on Saturday.

Prime Minister Modi paid tribute to the fallen soldiers during a visit to the IPKF Memorial. “Laid a wreath at the IPKF Memorial in Colombo. We remember the brave soldiers of the Indian Peace Keeping Force who laid down their lives in service of peace, unity and the territorial integrity of Sri Lanka,” he said in a social media post.

“Their unwavering courage and commitment remain a source of inspiration for us all,” he added.