Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka over the coming weekend, defence sources confirmed. The visit comes at a time when the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry is considering a fresh request from China to allow the visit of a research ship.
The Defence Minister is scheduled to go on a two-day visit to the island nation, two defence sources confirmed. As per Sri Lankan media reports, Mr. Singh is expected to visit Trincomalee where India is jointly investing in the joint development of Oil Tank farm, under an agreement signed in January 2022.
Last week, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry acknowledged receiving a request from the Chinese Embassy. The research vessel Shiyan-6 is expected to arrive in October. This request comes shortly after a Chinese warship docked at the Colombo Port from August 10 to August 12, exactly a year after the visit of a Chinese vessel ‘Yuan Wang-5’ caused a major diplomatic showdown between New Delhi and Colombo.
