Northeastern Coast : After India expressed its concerns to Sri Lanka, Colombo has postponed a planned military drill with the Pakistan Navy in the crucial waterways of Trincomalee, according to news agency PTI. According to sources, the Sri Lankan and Pakistani navy intended to conduct the exercise off Trincomalee as part of their regular operations. After India expressed its concerns about the drill to the Sri Lankan side, the proposal was canceled.
The navy exercise had been organized weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka. Notably, neither Islamabad nor Colombo had issued an official statement on the initiative.
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Sri Lanka northeastern coast, is critically important to India’s marine security.
Trincomalee, located on Sri Lanka’s northeastern coast, is critically important to India’s marine security. It has the potential to dominate the Bay of Bengal and much of the northeast Indian Ocean, thus New Delhi was correct in raising reservations about the proposed exercise.
The navies of Pakistan and Sri Lanka have friendly relations, and vessels from both nations visit each other’s ports on a regular basis, as well as conduct wargames.
The Pakistan Navy works closely with China’s PLA Navy, and New Delhi has legitimate fears about any visit by Pakistani vessels to Trincomalee, according to experts.
The Chinese Navy’s activities near Sri Lankan ports continue to be a key source of concern for India. The landing of the Chinese missile and satellite tracking ship “Yuan Wang” at the Hambantota port in August 2022 sparked a diplomatic crisis between India and Sri Lanka.
Another Chinese warship arrived at the Colombo port in August 2023 has also raised worries in New Delhi.
In recent years, India has provided aid to Sri Lanka in developing Trincomalee’s energy infrastructure. New Delhi intends to revitalize the oil tank farms at Trincomalee, which has one of the world’s best natural harbours.
During Prime Minister Modi’s recent visit to Sri Lanka, India, Sri Lanka, and the UAE signed an ambitious deal to develop Trincomalee as a “energy hub”. The deal aims to assist the island nation in achieving energy security and boosting its economic growth.
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