India and Sri Lanka will discuss establishing a security-related Artificial Intelligence (AI) training laboratory to build the capabilities of Sri Lankan armed forces.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh revealed that Colombo and New Delhi had held talks about the proposition during his recent visit to Colombo last week. He noted this while addressing a gathering aboard the INS Udaygiri, which called at the Port of Colombo.
The proposal comes amid ongoing efforts to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries.
Singh, who held a series of high-level engagements during his visit, including a meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, called for further strengthening the long-standing India-Sri Lanka defence and strategic partnership, with particular emphasis on maritime cooperation.
Addressing senior officials at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence on Wednesday (9), the Indian Defence Minister said that secure sea lanes, freedom of navigation, respect for international law, and unhindered maritime trade were pivotal to the collective security and prosperity of the Indian Ocean Region.
He said that India and Sri Lanka needed to devise and implement joint protocols, sharpen skills, and share experiences to address emerging threats arising from rapidly changing global and regional dynamics.
Significantly, Singh envisaged the two countries becoming joint stakeholders in developing an integrated Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) system capable of providing comprehensive maritime information on a real-time basis.
According to Singh, such a mechanism would require systematic cooperation and interaction among relevant agencies, navies, and coast guards of the two countries to address illegal fishing, suspicious vessel movements, narcotics trafficking, smuggling, terrorism, and other security threats.
He also proposed exploring the establishment of a joint Maritime Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) system involving relevant agencies from both countries to facilitate coordinated and rapid responses to natural and man-made disasters.
Singh said India was ready to expand cooperation with Sri Lanka in capacity building and joint exercises, enabling the two countries to learn from each other’s experiences and refine protocols for implementing joint initiatives.
It is learnt that Sri Lanka and India entered into three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) during Singh’s visit, involving the upgrading of air defence systems and capacity building opportunities for Sri Lanka’s National Cadet Corps (NCC) and the National Defence College (NDC).