The 7th Annual Defence Dialogue (ADD) between India and Sri Lanka was held in New Delhi from 23-25 February 2023. Defence Secretary, Gen (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne and Air Marshal SK Pathirana, Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force, along with a delegation comprising senior officers from the Sri Lanka Army and Navy attended the event. Various ongoing defence cooperation initiatives were jointly reviewed, and new avenues for engagement were identified during the ADD.
2. Defence Secretary, Gen (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne delivered a talk at the prestigious National Defence College (NDC), New Delhi. It may be recalled that both Defence Secretary and Air Marshal SK Pathirana are Alumni of the NDC. The visiting delegation from Sri Lanka visited the sacred Tirupati Temple on 24 February 2023. They also called on Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command of Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard at Mumbai.
3. ADD is the yearly apex level Defence engagement between the two countries to discuss regional security situation, common security challenges and avenues for closer defence cooperation towards ensuring ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’(SAGAR).
