CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF ATTENDS SASEAN DEFENCE CHIEFS ' DIALOGUE MALAYSIA
Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke attended the 2nd South and Southeast Asian Nations (SASEAN) Defence Chiefs ' Dialogue 2015 on the invitation of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of Malaysia.\r\n\r\nSASEAN DCD was an initiative of the former Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka, General Jagath Jayasuriya, and was held for the first time in Colombo in November 2014.\r\n\r\nAir Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke was received by senior Malaysian Military officials and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Malaysia HE Ibrahim Ansar. Further, the Chief of Defence Staff was accorded a Guard of Honour at the Headquarters of the Chief of Malaysian Defence Forces, Ministry of Defence with full military honours, with the participation of Malaysian Chief of Defence Forces and the Commanders of Army, Navy and Air Force of Malaysia.\r\n\r\nSASEAN DCD 2015 was attended by thirteen (13) countries, namely Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, while USA, Russia and China attended as Observers. This conference in Malaysia was held under the themes of \"Search & Rescue Operations and Relief Operations\"; and \"Fundamentalism and Extremism\", in the SASEAN region. \r\n\r\nAir Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke also had bilateral discussions with Chiefs of Defence Forces of Brunei, India, Maldives, Malaysia and Bangladesh on the side lines of the conference.
