State Minister for Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon called for increased defence cooperation highlighting the need to look beyond Sri Lanka's borders.
He emphasized that in this ‘Asian Century’, Sri Lanka needs to utilize forums like Aero India towards defence cooperation through joint ventures, co-development and production whilst investing in enhanced engagement in R&D and industry for sustainable development.
The State Minister made these remarks participating in Aero India 2023 and SPEED-Defence Ministers’ Conclave recently.
Tennakoon further stressed the importance of collective response through multilateral efforts like the Colombo Security Conclave to tackle the common security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region.
Aero India 2023, the 14th edition of Asia’s largest Air Show and exhibition, was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bengaluru on February 15.
During the visit, State Minister Tennakoon met the Chief of Defence Staff and all three service chiefs in addition to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
