Indian Army chief to arrive in Sri Lanka for five-day visit
Indian Army chief to arrive in Sri Lanka for five-day visit
To promote bilateral military ties and defence cooperation between the two countries, the Indian Army chief General V K Singh will be arriving in Sri Lanka by a special aircraft this afternoon for a five day visit.
His arrival is preparatory to the Indo-Lanka defence dialogue scheduled to begin next year.
General Singh served in the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) during Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka in 1987 . During the course of his stay General Singh would pay floral tribute at the memorial for the Indian Peace keeping Force (IPKF) soldiers and officers who laid down their lives in the fight against the LTTE. He will be the first Indian Army Chief to visit the memorial, since the time it was erected.
General Singh during his five day visit is scheduled to meet the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister D M Jayaratne , Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan Army Commander Lt General Jagath Jayasuriya and other senior defence officials. He will also meet the Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister , G.L.Peires.
