After voicing serious concerns with the Sri Lankan administration, India was able to successfully block a planned combined naval drill between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the crucial waters off Trincomalee.
Given the ongoing development of an energy hub at Trincomalee involving Indian investment and a new tripartite agreement with the United Arab Emirates, Indian officials saw the exercise, which was planned to take place just weeks before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka, as a purposeful move by Pakistan to assert its presence in a region where India has significant strategic and economic interests.
With its ability to control the Bay of Bengal and the northeast Indian Ocean, Trincomalee, which is situated on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka, is strategically significant for India.
Given that China’s increasing influence in Sri Lanka has long been a source of anxiety for New Delhi, Indian fears were further heightened by the close coordination between the Pakistani Navy and China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy.
The actions of Chinese surveillance ships, which have previously docked at Sri Lankan ports and caused diplomatic rifts with India, are largely to blame for Sri Lanka’s decision to impose a one-year embargo on foreign research vessels.
The Indian High Commission in Colombo promptly informed Sri Lankan authorities of New Delhi’s concerns on the upcoming Pakistan-Sri Lanka drill. India highlighted the importance of regional security and expressed concern about any military actions by Pakistan or its partners in the vicinity of Trincomalee.
Consequently, in spite of protests from Pakistan, the Sri Lankan government secretly called off the drill. Regarding the scope and time of the scheduled drill, neither Indian nor Sri Lankan officials provided an official statement; however, sources verified that the cancellation was directly related to Indian diplomatic interference.
The defence connections between India and Sri Lanka have significantly strengthened in tandem with this development.
A significant step forward since India’s involvement in Sri Lanka’s civil conflict in the 1980s was taken when Prime Minister Modi signed the two nations’ first-ever defence cooperation pact during his recent visit. More organised defence cooperation, cooperative drills, and possible defence industry alliances are anticipated outcomes of the agreement.
In order to strengthen India’s economic and strategic influence in the area, a tripartite agreement was also struck by India, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates to build the Trincomalee energy hub, which includes a multi-product pipeline and the expansion of the historic oil tank farm.
India’s strong position about the cancelled naval exercise demonstrates its resolve to protect its interests in the Indian Ocean and balance off Pakistani and Chinese dominance in its maritime area. The story also underscores the increasingly complicated security dynamics in South Asia, where military drills and port visits are frequently used as flashpoints for regional rivalries and are closely monitored.
