High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda met with the Indian Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM today (27) at the Ministry of Defence in New Delhi.

The cordial discussions were centred on the existing defence cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries and shared security interests in the region. High Commissioner Moragoda conveyed his appreciation, especially to the Indian armed forces for providing world-class professional training for the armed forces personnel of Sri Lanka over the years. The High Commissioner also discussed with the Chief of Defence Staff the ways and means by which the existing defence cooperation could be further expanded. 

General Anil Chauhan, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, India was commissioned into the Sixth Battalion, the Eleventh Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army in 1981 from the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, India.

The General Officer has operational experience encompassing a wide range of conflict and terrain profiles, all across the country. He was the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command and was later appointed as the Military Advisor to the National Security Council Secretariat of India. General Chauhan’s operational tenures have been interspersed with prestigious Professional Military Education courses and Staff & Instructional assignments. 

High Commissioner Moragoda was accompanied to the meeting by Minister Counsellor (Defence) of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Commodore Rohan Joseph.

Sri Lanka's High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda met with the National Security Advisor of India Shri Ajit Kumar Doval, today (16) and discussed matters pertaining to India-Sri Lanka relations. The discussion focused on mutual strategic interests of the two countries and priority areas for cooperation.

The meeting took place as part of the regular and ongoing dialogue between the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka and the National Security Advisor of India.  

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda who is on a three day official visit to the State of Gujarat met with the Governor and the Chief Minister of the State. 

High Commissioner Moragoda’s meeting with the Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel was held on 11 January at the Chief Minister’s office in Gandhinagar. At the outset, the  High Commissioner congratulated the  Chief  Minister on his resounding victory at the recently concluded assembly elections in Gujarat. The discussion focused on the interactions between the State of Gujarat and Sri Lanka in multiple spheres and particularly in tourism sector. The importance of promoting the Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka among Gujarati tourists and the Gujarat Buddhist Trail among Sri Lankan pilgrims was also discussed. High Commissioner Moragoda recalled how Sri Lanka and the State of Gujarat signed an MoU on tourism cooperation in 2009 when he was the Minister of Tourism and the Present Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The ways and means to further enhance economic activities and people to people contacts between Sri Lanka and Gujarat was discussed. High Commissioner Moragoda invited Chief Minister Patel to undertake a visit to Sri Lanka at a mutual convenient time.

High Commissioner Moragoda met with the Governor of the State of Gujarat Shri Acharya Devvrat on 12 January at the Raj Bhavan in Gandhinagar. The Governor extended a warm welcome to the High Commissioner and the discussion was held in a very cordial manner. The discussion focused on the relations between Sri Lanka and Gujarat. Governor Devvrat is a practitioner of natural farming, and the High Commissioner sought his cooperation  in imparting technical knowhow to Sri Lanka in this method of farming. The Governor agreed to extend cooperation and invited High Commissioner Moragoda to visit his 200 acre natural farm in Kurukshetra, Haryana. High Commissioner Moragoda briefed the Governor about Sri Lanka’s decision to appoint a Honorary Consul in Ahmedabad to cover the State of Gujarat. The High Commissioner also invited Governor Devvrat to visit Sri Lanka.

High Commissioner Moragoda was accompanied to these meetings by Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa and Minister Counsellor of the High Commission of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Gamini Sarath Godakanda.