Sri Lanka takes steps to enhance naval cooperation with Russia

Sri Lanka is taking steps to enhance naval cooperation with Russia, the Foreign Ministry said tdoay.

The Foreign Ministry said that on July 27-30, Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, made an official trip to Russia at the invitation of the Russian Defence Ministry.

This was the first visit by the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy to Saint Petersburg, Russian Navy Headquarters, thus paving a symbolic milestone on the way of the development of bilateral naval cooperation.

Vice Admiral De Silva, accompanied by Captain (G) G. S. H. E. De Silva, Aide and Secretary to the Navy Commander, and Lieutenant Commander D. M. R. E. Dissanayake, Coordinating Officer and ADC to the Navy Commander, participated at the Main Naval Parade, Russia’s largest-scale international ceremonial event at sea.

The visit of the Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral De Silva included a call on Admiral Nikolay Evmenov, Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy, a working meeting with high level specialists in military technical cooperation, and a detailed tour of a Russian patrol corvette which was participating in the Naval Parade along with 43 warships, submarines and cutters, including guests of honour from overseas such as Russia-built Indian frigate and Chinese destroyer, overarched by an air show of fighter jets, submarine chasers, helicopters and other aircraft interacting in naval operations.

On the margins of the Naval Parade, representatives of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Moscow ? the Defence Attach? and the Ambassador’s Liaison ? met with Russian Navy Headquarters? International Relations officers to discuss the upcoming visits which aim at advancing cooperation between Sri Lanka and Russia Naval educational institutions, including the first exchange visits between the Naval & Maritime Academy, Trincomalee, and the Principal Education & Research Centre of the Russian Navy – the Admiral Kuznetsov Naval Academy, Saint Petersburg.