Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia have renewed their commitment to improve defense cooperation and strengthen their relationship. This commitment was established during a meeting between Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd.), Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Defence, and Prince Abdulrahman bin Ayyaf Al-Muqrin, the Deputy Minister of Defence of Saudi Arabia. This meeting occurred at the Saudi Defence Ministry while Deputy Minister Jayasekara was on an official visit to the World Defense Show (WDS) in Riyadh. During their discussions, both sides emphasized the friendly and warm relations between their countries. They looked for ways to further enhance defense cooperation and reinforce their long-standing connections. The Sri Lankan delegation requested continued support from Saudi Arabia, recognizing the valuable cooperation that has taken place over the years. The talks also included expanding military training opportunities, professional exchanges, and organized knowledge-sharing initiatives between the armed forces of both nations, according to the Defence Ministry. Both parties acknowledged the importance of Maritime Domain Awareness and maritime security. They also expressed shared concerns about transnational issues like drug trafficking and smuggling, agreeing on the need to strengthen cooperation and share information to tackle these challenges effectively. Furthermore, the meeting touched on new defense technologies and changing operational methods, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), intelligence systems, and surveillance capabilities. Both sides recognized the need to keep up with modern advancements in the defense field. They also discussed the possibility of holding bilateral defense talks or staff talks, as well as implementing structured capacity-building programs to formalize defense cooperation between Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia.
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