Sri Lanka Defence Secretary Attends International Security Forum in Russia
Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), paid an official visit to the Russian Federation, to participate in the annual International Meeting of High-Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters, being held from the 26th to 29th May in Moscow.
The theme of the forum was, ‘Challenges and Threats to International Security in the context of the Emergence of the Multipolar World’. The three day forum was fruitful and informative.
While addressing the forum, Defence Secretary stated that “Strategic competition among major powers, growing geopolitical tensions and the weakening of multilateral consensus are creating uncertainty in the international security environment. At the same time, traditional security threats are increasingly compounded by non-traditional challenges, including cyberattacks, terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organised crime, disinformation and the misuse of emerging technologies”.
Further he added that “Sri Lanka firmly believes that the Indian Ocean should remain a zone of peace, cooperation and shared prosperity. We therefore advocate constructive engagement, mutual respect and dialogue among nations to prevent rivalry from escalating into confrontation”.
Alongside the International Security Forum, the Defence secretary met with the Russian Deputy Defence Minister, Mr. Vasily Osmakov, and Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Mr. Aleksander Nikolayevich in Moscow.
During these cordial discussions, both sides exchanged views on evolving regional and global security challenges and reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation between Sri Lanka and the Russian Federation in areas of mutual interest, particularly military-technical cooperation, capacity-building initiatives and opportunities for enhanced training exchanges between the two countries.
Ambassador Shobini Gunasekera along with Defence Counsellor, Air Commodore Dinesh Kasagala also participated in the meetings with the Secretary Ministry of Defence.