President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said that efforts should be made to establish freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean Region and make Sri Lanka a centre of maritime commerce.
The President said that plans should be made to create a powerful Asia by opening up to the world while ensuring the security of the Indian Ocean Region.
He made these observations addressing the first graduation ceremony held at the National Defence College in Colombo 3 yesterday.
The President said that if our country loses a good security system, our future will be destroyed and the world situation and geopolitics will turn into a very bad hand, and that is not good for the country.
Emphasizing that the ships supplying fuel to the world should be allowed to pass through the Indian Ocean, the President also said that it should be ensured that the security of the Indian Ocean region is not hindered by the ships passing through the Indian Ocean.
Emphasizing that the creation of turmoil between the countries of the Indian Ocean should be avoided, the President emphasized that India’s support is important to us and that we will always cooperate with India.He added that the Sri Lanka certainly played an important role in the Western Indian Ocean although there will be others. He said further that the Defence College should produce the human resources that would play a leading role in looking at our defence structure. He requested all to make a contribution in this endeavour. He also added that by now the country has to think of the defence of Sri Lanka and the role of Armed Forces in 2030 and beyond.
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