The Sri Lanka delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue was led by Hon Ruwan Wijewardene, State Minister of Defence. On the sidelines of the meeting held today, the State Minister paid courtesy calls on General Prawit Wongsuwon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Thailand, Rt. Hon Michael Fallon, Secretary of State for Defence of the UK, Hon Lui Tuck Yew, 2nd Minister of Defence of Singapore, and also met with Hon Rao Inderjit Singh, Minister State for Defence of India and discussed strengthening defence cooperation with the respective countries. The State Minister also briefed those he met on the initiatives being taken by the new Government since assuming office on addressing the issue of reconciliation.

Mr. B M U D Basnayake, Secretary/ Ministry of Defence also met with his counterpart Mr. Chang Yeng Kit, the Permanent Secretary of Defence of Singapore and discussed how best to streamline Defence cooperation between the two countries through regular interactions at the policy and operational levels on the sidelines of the Dialogue.

The delegation to the Shangri La Dialogue this year included the Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya, Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. A W J C De Silva, Commander of the Army, Rear Admiral Ravi Wijeguneratne, Chief of Staff of the Navy, Air Vice Marshal Gagan Bulathsinghala, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Ms. Sashikala Premawardhane, Senior Asst Secretary (Foreign Affairs) of the Ministry of Defence and Mr. Wishvanatha Aponso, Acting Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Singapore.