Indian Army Commander is scheduled to visit Colombo in the third week of December and the dates are being finalized by the officials of the two sides, PTI reported.

The Army chief's visit amid the strong opposition from the Tamil Nadu political parties against any defence cooperation with Sri Lanka is aimed at finding ways to enhance cooperation between the two armies in training, military hardware and joint exercises.

The Sri Lankan and Indian armies are also expected to hold a joint Army exercise next year and details of cooperation have been discussed during the visit of Defense Secretary Gotabhaya to New Delhi last month.

Sri Lanka and India have also decided to hold joint naval exercises next year in Indian waters but given the sentiment of Tamil Nadu towards cooperating with Sri Lanka military the Indian defense ministry has advised its Navy to hold the exercises away from the coasts of four southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka.

However, the Indian government said it will continue to provide training to Sri Lankan defense personnel at India's defense facilities despite the opposition from the Tamil parties in the state of Tamil Nadu.