On 12 March 2026, Ambassador-designate of Sri Lanka to Indonesia Sashikala Premawardhane paid a courtesy call on Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia, Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo, and discussed avenues to further strengthen defence and security cooperation between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
The discussion focused on the early signing of the Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation between the Ministries of Defence of Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Defence industry cooperation, expanding capacity building and training opportunities, exchange of high-level visits in the field of defence, and cooperation in Search and Rescue operations were also discussed.
The importance of strengthening maritime cooperation between the two countries was particularly highlighted with emphasis placed on enhancing cooperation in maritime situational awareness, information sharing and security collaboration, noting Sri Lanka’s strategic location along major sea lanes and shared responsibilities in maritime safety and search and rescue coordination.
The Ambassador-designate also highlighted the importance of continued engagement between the armed forces of the two countries and expressed appreciation for training opportunities provided to the Sri Lanka military thus far by the Indonesian defence authorities. Referring to the fully sponsored berths offered to Sri Lanka Navy cadets in the upcoming ASEAN Plus Cadet Sail programme it was noted that the Indonesian naval ship KRI Bima Suci will make a Port Call on Colombo in April during which preparatory meetings are envisaged to be held for the initiation of Navy-to-Navy Staff Talks between the two countries.
Establishing Army and Air Force staff talk mechanisms between the two countries was also highlighted as important towards the augmenting and streamlining of defence ties by Lieutenant General Tri Budi Utomo. It was agreed that such streamlined cooperation would be pursued actively by the respective defence establishments.
The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia and the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Jakarta.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Jakarta
13 March 2026
