Indian Army Chief pledges more assistance to train Sri Lanka Army

The Chief of Indian Army General Bikram Singh arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday to hold discussions on further strengthening the bilateral defence ties between the two countries. General Singh met Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya for formal talks on Wednesday evening.

The discussions between the two military leaders centred on the expansion of the newly-established Diyatalawa Army Training Command (ARTRAC), which is assigned to closely monitor, supervise, assess and coordinate all Army training institutes and their training programs, with Indian support at different levels.

Discussions also have explored possibilities of launching one-to-one correspondence between service regiments of the respective armies as measures to further broaden the spectrum of military interests, benefiting both sides.

The visiting Indian Army Chief in response to a request of Sri Lankan Army Commander has pledged to provide a few horses to the Diyatalawa Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) for training purposes and all possible assistance to further improvement of training slots to Sri Lanka Army in various training programs.

Among areas the two military leaders discussed were, Sri Lanka Army’s post-conflict nation building roles, exchange of sports programs and conduct of annual tournaments between both armies, and getting English language instructors of the Indian armed forces to train Sri Lankan Army personnel in the language.

The Indian Army chief’s visit is aimed at finding ways to enhance cooperation between the two armies in training, military hardware and joint exercises. General Singh, during his tour in the North, North Central and Central provinces, is scheduled to visit the security forces headquarters and the rehabilitation centre for former LTTE combatants in Vavuniya.