A 20-member delegation from Sri Lanka’s Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) is in Türkiye on a two-week overseas study programme that runs until Sunday, August 9.
The group, headed by Air Commodore Nipuna Thanippuliarachchi, is undertaking the International Collaboration Study Package (DDICSP) 2026, the overseas component of DSCSC Course No. 20. The programme began on July 27 and was organised by Turkish authorities, with the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara coordinating.
The package is designed for middle-grade officers drawn from all three services. It has taken participants to military headquarters, defence education institutions and defence manufacturers in Ankara and Istanbul. The itinerary also included Anıtkabir, Topkapı Palace, the Gallipoli battlefields at Çanakkale and the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations.
Embassy briefing
The delegation visited the Sri Lankan Embassy in Ankara on August 4, where Ambassador Niluka Kadurugamuwa briefed the officers on the state of bilateral relations, covering political engagement, defence cooperation, trade and investment, tourism, education and cultural exchange. He also outlined the mission’s work to build institutional links with Turkish government agencies and private companies.
The officers went on to discuss regional and global security developments and defence diplomacy with the ambassador, who hosted a dinner for the delegation that evening.
Context
Sri Lanka and Türkiye have been steadily widening military-to-military contact. At the second round of political consultations in Ankara in May, the two foreign ministries recorded progress in defence and security cooperation, specifically citing institutional linkages and capacity building — the category this study tour falls into. Colombo has also been courting Turkish commerce, with its envoy and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce targeting USD 500 million in bilateral trade.
The embassy described the programme as a milestone in defence relations between the two countries and said it should open avenues for cooperation in military education and technological collaboration.
Source: Colombo Gazette.
