Sri Lanka and Indonesia strengthen defence cooperation

Wednesday, 1 April 2026 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ambassador-designate to Indonesia Sashikala Premawardhane (third from right) with Indonesia’s Defence Ministry Secretary General Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador-designate to Indonesia Sashikala Premawardhane paid a courtesy call on Indonesia’s Defence Ministry Secretary General Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo recently.

They discussed avenues to further strengthen defence and security cooperation between the two countries, focusing, among others, on the early signing of the Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation between the Defence Ministries of Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Defence industry cooperation, expanding capacity building and training opportunities, exchange of high-level visits in the field of defence, and cooperation in search and rescue operations were also discussed.

The importance of strengthening maritime cooperation between the two countries was particularly highlighted, with emphasis placed on enhancing cooperation in maritime situational awareness, information sharing, and security collaboration, noting Sri Lanka’s strategic location along major sea lanes and shared responsibilities in maritime safety and search and rescue coordination.

The Ambassador-designate also highlighted the importance of continued engagement between the armed forces of the two countries and expressed appreciation for training opportunities provided to the Sri Lanka military thus far by the Indonesian defence authorities.

Referring to the fully sponsored berths offered to Sri Lanka Navy cadets in the upcoming ASEAN Plus Cadet Sail program, it was noted that the Indonesian naval ship KRI Bima Suci will make a port call in Colombo in April, during which preparatory meetings are envisaged to be held for the initiation of Navy-to-Navy staff talks between the two countries.

Establishing Army and Air Force staff talk mechanisms between the two countries was also highlighted as important towards augmenting and streamlining defence ties by Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo. It was agreed that such streamlined cooperation would be pursued actively by the respective defence establishments.