Indian Air Chief in Lanka to deepen military ties

Press Trust of India | One India News
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Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal P V Naik on Monday (17) paid homage to the troops of the1987 IPKF operation who made the ultimate sacrifice battling the LTTE rebels in Sri Lanka, as part of his four-day visit here to deepen military ties with Colombo.

Air Chief Marshal Naik paid floral tributes at a landmark monument built near Sri Lanka''s parliamentary complex to honour 1,200 IPKF soldiers who died during the fighting with LTTE as part of the 1987 Indo-Lanka Peace Accord aimed at resolving the ethnic crisis in the country.

The Indian air chief received a red carpet welcome and a guard of honour at the air force headquarters, where he met his counterpart Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonatilake on Monday (17).

Later he was briefed on the role and task of the Sri Lanka air force, officials said.

During his stay, the Air Force Chief will had several meetings with top officials of the government and the defence establishment, including the powerful Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapksha and service chiefs in a bid to deepen military ties between the two neighbors.

Indian Air Chief was scheduled to call on president Mahinda Rajapksha and External Affairs Minister Prof.G.L.Pieris on Tuesday (18).

He will also visit Sri Lanka Air Force base at Katunayake, the home of Sri Lanka''s fighter jet squadron.

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