Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya is currently in Maldives on a five-day goodwill tour at the invitation of Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
Wednesday’s (17) commencement of Sri Lankan Army Chief’s formal itinerary in Male, the capital of this archipelago-nation, which is also traditionally called, the King’s Island, would perhaps go down in the annals of Army history as the first Sri Lankan Army Commander to have had a formal audience with the Head of a State in a foreign land.
The visiting Lieutenant General Jayasuriya, accompanied by Maldives’ Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (Retd) Mohamed Nazim and Chief of Defence Staff Major General Ahmed Shiyam, called on HE, the President of the Republic of Maldives, Mohammed Waheed Hassan at his Presidential office in Male Wednesday (17) morning.
President Waheed Hassan during his meeting with the visiting Army Chief exchanged pleasantries and recalled historical and existing bonds of bilateral relations between both Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He also mentioned a catalogue of gestures of goodwill both countries, have so far shared with each other and a few notable instances of Sri Lanka’s offers of emergency assistance to the Maldives when asked for.
Towards the end of the interaction, the visiting Army Chief presented the President with a special token of memento that would immortalize the memories of the visit to the President’s office.
Minutes after the memorable meeting with the President, the visiting Army Chief’s next stop was at Ministry of Defence and National Security in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Headquarters complex.
A Guard of Honour inside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Headquarters complex in accordance with military traditions afterwards saluted the visiting Commander of the Army on arrival before he was warmly received by Maldives’ Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (Retd) Mohamed Nazim.
Discussions that pursued between both Sri Lankan Army Chief and Minister of Defence and National Security centered largely on matters, pertaining to absorption of more and more MNDF personnel into Sri Lankan Army training programmes. At present, 3 Maldivian Defence Force officers are following different professional training courses in several Army training establishments in Sri Lanka. To this date, a few dozens of MNDF personnel have received training here successfully.
Maldives’ Minister of Defence and National Security talked high of the professional standards in Sri Lankan military training institutes and career courses, as evidenced by the enormous interest, being shown by officers of the MNDF for a slot in Sri Lankan military institutes.
At the conclusion of the formal meeting, both Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (Retd) Mohamed Nazim and the visiting Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, exchanged token souvenirs, attaching symbolic significance to the interaction in the MNDF Headquarters.
Later on, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya paid a courtesy call on Major General Ahmed Shiyam, Chief of Defence Force (CDF) of the Maldives National Defence Force at his office.
Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya soon after the meeting with the CDF received a multimedia presentation on comprehensive roles and tasks of the MNDF before his departure to meet the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the Maldives.
The Commander’s retinue includes Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya, the spouse of the Army Chief and three more officers.
Wednesday’s (17) commencement of Sri Lankan Army Chief’s formal itinerary in Male, the capital of this archipelago-nation, which is also traditionally called, the King’s Island, would perhaps go down in the annals of Army history as the first Sri Lankan Army Commander to have had a formal audience with the Head of a State in a foreign land.
The visiting Lieutenant General Jayasuriya, accompanied by Maldives’ Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (Retd) Mohamed Nazim and Chief of Defence Staff Major General Ahmed Shiyam, called on HE, the President of the Republic of Maldives, Mohammed Waheed Hassan at his Presidential office in Male Wednesday (17) morning.
President Waheed Hassan during his meeting with the visiting Army Chief exchanged pleasantries and recalled historical and existing bonds of bilateral relations between both Sri Lanka and the Maldives. He also mentioned a catalogue of gestures of goodwill both countries, have so far shared with each other and a few notable instances of Sri Lanka’s offers of emergency assistance to the Maldives when asked for.
Towards the end of the interaction, the visiting Army Chief presented the President with a special token of memento that would immortalize the memories of the visit to the President’s office.
Minutes after the memorable meeting with the President, the visiting Army Chief’s next stop was at Ministry of Defence and National Security in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Headquarters complex.
A Guard of Honour inside the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Headquarters complex in accordance with military traditions afterwards saluted the visiting Commander of the Army on arrival before he was warmly received by Maldives’ Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (Retd) Mohamed Nazim.
Discussions that pursued between both Sri Lankan Army Chief and Minister of Defence and National Security centered largely on matters, pertaining to absorption of more and more MNDF personnel into Sri Lankan Army training programmes. At present, 3 Maldivian Defence Force officers are following different professional training courses in several Army training establishments in Sri Lanka. To this date, a few dozens of MNDF personnel have received training here successfully.
Maldives’ Minister of Defence and National Security talked high of the professional standards in Sri Lankan military training institutes and career courses, as evidenced by the enormous interest, being shown by officers of the MNDF for a slot in Sri Lankan military institutes.
At the conclusion of the formal meeting, both Minister of Defence and National Security Colonel (Retd) Mohamed Nazim and the visiting Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, exchanged token souvenirs, attaching symbolic significance to the interaction in the MNDF Headquarters.
Later on, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya paid a courtesy call on Major General Ahmed Shiyam, Chief of Defence Force (CDF) of the Maldives National Defence Force at his office.
Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya soon after the meeting with the CDF received a multimedia presentation on comprehensive roles and tasks of the MNDF before his departure to meet the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in the Maldives.
The Commander’s retinue includes Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya, the spouse of the Army Chief and three more officers.
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