INDIAN Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane met Sri Lanka's top civilian and military leadership on Wednesday (13) and discussed steps for enhancing defence cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.
General Naravane, who arrived in Colombo on Tuesday (12) on a four-day visit at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart General Shavendra Silva, called on president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, and discussed issues of mutual and strategic cooperation, the Indian Army said in a tweet.
The Indian Army chief also called on prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at his official residence, the Temple Trees.
"Between the two armed forces, we have an excellent relationship," General Naravane told prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, noting that the interaction will also help cement the bilateral relations between the two countries at all levels, Sri Lanka's News 1st channel reported.
Mahinda Rajapaksa expressed his appreciation for the assistance provided by the Indian Armed Forces to Sri Lanka throughout the years, especially in the area of training, it added.
General Naravane laid a wreath at Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKP) War Memorial and paid tributes to the bravehearts of the Indian Army who laid down their lives during the Peace Keeping Operations in Sri Lanka. He also interacted with the veterans of the Sri Lankan Army.
He had served in the IPKP in Sri Lanka's north and east from 1987-1990.
On Thursday (14), he will witness the final demonstration of the ongoing bilateral exercise 'Mitra Shakti' at Maduru Oya Special Forces Training School in the east.
India and Sri Lanka last week began a 12-day mega military exercise with a focus on enhancing counter-terror cooperation at the Combat Training School in the island nation's eastern district of Ampara.
It is the eighth edition of the 'Mitra Shakti' exercise which got under way on October 4 with the participation of an all arms contingent of 120 Indian Army personnel, headed by Colonel Prakash Kumar. The annual event will conclude on Friday (15).
The joint military exercise has been designed to enhance understanding of transnational terrorism, inter-operability skills, conduct of joint tactical operations, sharing of each other's best practices and experiences, the Sri Lanka Army said.
General Naravane's visit is taking place a week after foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Sri Lanka and met the country's top leadership.
Davindra and Seema Misra, and Vijay and Gita Parekh
Varchas Patel with his father Vipin and mother Jayshriben
Hasmukh Shingadia and his wife Chandrika were all victims of the Horizon scandal
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)