16 August 2022 12:00 am Views - 258
The handing over of Dornier Aircraft by India to Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) is the start of a greater cooperation among SLAF, Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian Navy in the field of maritime surveillance, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.
“The aircraft is an enhancement of SLAF. It is also the start of a greater cooperation between SLAF, Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian Navy in the field of maritime surveillance,” President Wickremesinghe said during the handing over ceremony of the Dornier Aircraft from India to SLAF at the Katunayake Airbase.
“This is an instance where SLAF had taken charge of an aircraft belonging to Indian Navy. By next year, we shall have our own Dornier Aircraft. I thank India for helping us for a long time,” the President said.
“Late Pandit Nehru once in his address to the nation after India gained independence said, the independence offers greater opportunities for India to grasp. India has grasped it. By the middle of this century India would become a powerful nation in the globe. I would like to advise young up and coming politicians to develop relationships with their Indian colleagues. If not they won’t be able deal with the issues that might arise,” he added.
“India and Sri Lanka have many things in common while there are differences. These differences should not become disputes,” the President also said.