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Australia has decided to donate an aircraft to support maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) including Sri Lanka.
Deputy Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South and Southeast Asian region) Michelle Chan conveyed this decision during discussions with the President’s Senior Adviser on National Security and Chief of Staff Sagala Ratnayaka, while she was on a visit to Sri Lanka.
Chan said that this aircraft is being provided as the first step for Sri Lanka’s ocean protection activities particularly in combatting illegal immigration and drug trafficking. Sri Lanka has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Indian Ocean that is 23 times bigger than its land area of 65,610 sq km.
