‘We are cooperating closely on security and defence matters’

The High Commissioner of India, Santosh Jha, spoke at the India-Sri Lanka Defence Seminar.

He spoke on identifying new opportunities and forging new bonds.

The event was organized by the High Commission of India at Hotel Taj Samudra, Colombo.

The following are excerpts from his speech:

I am pleased to welcome you to the Second Seminar on India-Sri Lanka Defence Cooperation we are organizing in Colombo. I thank you all for attending.

My deep appreciation to the Hon. State Minister, Mr. Tennekoon, for his presence here today.

I must also thank the Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka and the Air Force and Navy Commanders for their gracious presence.

We value the support extended by the Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka. We look forward to working with our Sri Lankan friends to take forward our common endeavour to deepen and further strengthen our defence cooperation.
I am also grateful for the presence of Indian delegation led by Additional Secretary from Ministry of Defence. He is leading a large and very diverse delegation from the Indian defence-industry, including some leading Indian Defence Public Sector entities and wide range of industry players from the private sector.

Relations between India and Sri Lanka are uniquely fraternal. They are very special, and unlike any other, we have with other countries.

Our shared civilizational past, common heritage and strong cultural connect create a natural warmth and comfort in dealing with each other. For us, as close and proximate neighbors, cooperation is the only option.

It is not driven by choice and opportunity alone.

Our approach to Sri Lanka is guided by our neighborhood-first policy and our SAGAR vision.

This entails sharing with our closest neighbours all that we can based on their needs and aspirations. It also entails maintaining a generous and non-reciprocal approach.

Our support in recent years to Sri Lanka, during the Covid pandemic and the economic crisis, was driven by our sense of responsibility and obligation for our closest friend and neighbor.

We stood shoulder to shoulder with our civilizational twin when it was needed most and without any hesitation.

Many of you will agree that India is and will remain Sri Lanka’s most reliable friend and a trusted and dependable partner.

Our bilateral cooperation is expanding and diversifying.

India’s growing national capabilities buttress it.

We now cooperate in wider range of areas including infrastructure and connectivity, deeper economic engagement, trade and investment, culture and education, tourism and people to people ties.

Like in other areas, we cooperate closely on security and defense matters. Because of our geography, our security is interlinked and intertwined. And when we speak of security, we must remember that it has acquired a wider meaning than we have traditionally associated with it.

After the COVID pandemic and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it has come to include energy, health,food, and economic security.

Technology now permeates all aspects of our lives, and looking at security through a narrow and segmented lens is no longer possible. Our response, therefore, must consider this wider definition. We must also act accordingly to address security in its entirety, keeping the complex inter-linkages in mind.

In recent years, the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, a self-reliant India, has led to significant development of capability within the Indian defense industry. The Government of India has promoted this vision through enabling policies and frameworks, initiatives such as establishing defence industry corridors, and supporting and handholding different stakeholders. We have also promoted collaborations between private and government-owned enterprises.

We have invested in research and development and promoted the use of innovation and new-age technologies to build future-ready capabilities.

Our efforts have paid rich dividends in the last decade. The Indian defence industry today rolls out state-of-the-art systems, advanced technologies, and world-class equipment. To name a few, this ranges from fighter aircraft and helicopters to naval vessels, from electronic warfare systems to cyber security solutions, and from small arms to large caliber precision long-range artillery systems.

We are producing for our national requirements and have been willing to make these capabilities available to our friendly partner countries like Sri Lanka. In fact, our defence exports today stand at nearly 2.6 billion US Dollars, a tenfold increase over the past five years. We export defense hardware and software to more than 85 countries, with more than 100 indigenous firms active in this field.

In this effort, we have relied upon our 16 public sector defense undertakings, which have been the backbone of our defense industrial complex, and supplemented their efforts with growing private sector participation. Our Innovations for Defence Excellence or iDEX initiative also helps us build capabilities in critical and strategic technologies to bridge the gap between the expectations and requirements of the modern Armed Forces by fostering a vibrant defense innovation ecosystem.

Today, India can offer high-quality, low-cost, and reliable defense technology with an assured supply chain for long-term maintenance support.

As in other sectors, our endeavor has been to ensure that our growing capabilities also benefit our neighbors, including Sri Lanka. We are committed to supporting the needs and requirements of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
I am therefore happy that today’s seminar will focus on our security and defense cooperation and help identify our shared priorities. That this Seminar is being held in Sri Lanka for the second time in the last two years underscores the value we attach to our defence partnership with Sri Lanka.

The large defence industry delegation from India further underlines our strong commitment to building industrial cooperation in the defence sector in Sri Lanka.

We would also showcase the various advanced platforms and equipment to enable the Sri Lankan armed forces to familiarize themselves with various capabilities that have been developed indigenously in India. We are confident that these can also become viable, affordable, and modern solutions for the Sri Lankan military.

Once again, I thank all of you for participating in this exercise. I wish the seminar and its participants all success. With your close cooperation, we are confident we will see important and meaningful outcomes.