Sri Lanka and India armies during their first structured Army-to-Army staff talks have agreed to strengthen bilateral military cooperation between them through training, administration, and welfare programmes.

The three-day talks between India and Sri Lanka that began on Wednesday (29) in New Delhi ended yesterday with Indian army agreeing to help the Sri Lankan army to build capacity and to share their experiences in counter-insurgency operations.

The Sri Lankan delegation for the talks was led by Sri Lanka Army�s Military Secretary Major General H. C. P. Goonetilleke while Indian Army's Additional Director General (International Cooperation) Major General I. P. Singh led the Indian delegation.

The two sides have discussed the matters of interest that could be implemented between the two armies over the next year. They also agreed to send their military instructors to each others military academies.

During the discussions, India has agreed to open up more opportunities for the Sri Lankan Army personnel to train in Indian military academies and colleges. In addition the Indian army has agreed to enhance the scope of the training courses for the Sri Lankan officers.

The armies also have agreed to share their experiences and organizational structure in the fields of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and expertise in battle concepts and doctrines, particularly in tackling insurgency, the Indo Asian News Service reported.

India has held similar staff talks with only nine other countries, specifically US, UK, Israel, France, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and Singapore.

During the visit the Sri Lankan delegation also met the Indian Army chief General V.K. Singh.