Minister Tennakoon expressed gratitude for India's sustained support for the island countries' armed forces

Photo Credit : @dprohyd/twitter,

Sri Lankan Defence Minister Premitha Bandara Tennakoon met with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on the sidelines of DefExpo and expressed gratitude for India's sustained support for the island countries' armed forces.

Tennakoon also lauded India's remarkable success in developing a solid defence industrial base. Apart from Tennakoon, several other countries' Defence Ministers attended DefExpo.

Previously, the Defence Minister of Sri Lanka met with Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar. "Enriching conversations on joint Maritime Security and possibilities to expand bilateral defence cooperation," a spokesperson for the Indian Navy tweeted.

On Thursday, Rajnath Singh spoke at an HQIDS-FICCI seminar in Gandhinagar saying that the country "must have technological and production competence" if the "reliability of supplies" of defence equipment is to be maintained.

He said, "If we are to retain the sustainability and reliability of our defence item supply, we must have technology and production capability within the country so that once we confront a protracted conflict, our capabilities stay intact.”

"Our military services should do more to help domestic business. It is a source of joy that our personnel have fully supported the defence sector's self-reliance,” he said. 

Noting that the Indian armed forces are undergoing a significant transition, the Minister said that the country's readiness to deal with the challenges of a changing geopolitical landscape has improved.

He also said, "Our preparation to deal with a quickly changing geopolitical landscape and the issues that come with it, particularly the threat from our neighbours.”

"Not only is the certainty of purchase of defence products in front of us, but so is the goal of generating world-class technology. For the first time, the government has set aside 25 per cent of the defence research budget for industry, start-ups and academics,” he added.

He also examined the weapons and ammunition on exhibit at DefExpo-2022.