Overview
- India’s Ministry of Defence said the January 5–8 visits to the UAE and Sri Lanka significantly advanced defence and military-to-military ties through strategic dialogue and capacity-building.
- In the UAE, General Upendra Dwivedi held talks with senior Armed Forces leaders, including the Commander of the UAE Land Forces, and addressed officers at the National Defence College.
- In Sri Lanka, he met Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekera and Army Commander Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, with discussions spanning training, capacity building and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief cooperation.
- India handed over ambulance vans, 20 Mahindra Scorpio vehicles and training simulators to the Sri Lanka Army, and the Army Chief laid the foundation stone for a sports complex at the Army War College in Buttala.
- The engagements reinforced interoperability and India’s role as a reliable defence partner, and the Army Chief paid homage at the IPKF War Memorial in Sri Lanka.