As a result of a meeting last week between Sri Lanka’s foreign minister, GL Peiris, and India’s foreign minister, S Jaishankar, the island country is in discussions with India about purchasing two military plans for its air force.
The proposal is centered around procuring two Dornier aircraft. The Dornier is a twin-engine multi-purpose aircraft used for maritime surveillance by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. The aircraft is considered the showpiece of the governments’ “Make in India” program and is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) under license from the Swiss company RUAG.
In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in Sri Lanka, the economy of that country has been suffering as revenue from tourism and exports have dwindled, resulting in a dollar depreciation. As a result, prices of imported food items and locally produced food items have increased, reaching record levels in January 2022.
