In a statement, they said the Commanding Officer of the Indian Naval Ship, Commander NVS Phani Kumar will call on the Commander Eastern Naval Area.

Further, various professional interactions will be conducted on VBSS, Gunnery and Missile Operations.

A reception will be hosted onboard for senior officials from the military and civil administration.

Post departure a Maritime Partnership Exercise with Sri Lanka Navy Ship off Trincomalee is also planned on July 31.

In order to further people-to-people connections and familiarize the people with the Indian Navy and its capabilities, the ship will be open for visits by school children. In addition, the public too will have the opportunity to visit the ship on July 30 at the Trincomalee Port.

The ship will also carry out a Yoga Session, Beach Cleaning and Special School in Trincomalee.

The visit of the Indian Naval Ship Khanjar is also significant in view of the potential for cooperation between India and Sri Lanka for augmenting capabilities of the Sri Lanka Navy for efficiently addressing shared challenges for maritime security in the region.

It may be recalled that Indian Naval Submarine Vagir had earlier visited Colombo from 19-22 Jun 2023 for celebrating the International Day of Yoga (IDY-2023). Visits by Indian Navy vessels to Sri Lanka further strengthen the camaraderie and interoperability between the Navies of the two neighbours, in keeping with India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) doctrine and ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

DM