Maithripala Sirisena, the President of Sri Lanka, visited INS Vikramaditya recently. He was received onboard by Rear Admiral Ranveet Singh, NM, Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet and Captain Krishna Swaminathan, Commanding Officer of the ship. Y.K. Sinha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, and Vice Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, were also present. On his arrival onboard, the President was presented a 50-men guard of honour and was received with the playing of Sri Lanka and Indian national anthems by the Indian Navy band. He was then introduced to the ship’s officers.

This visit is very significant since it marks many firsts. It was not only the first visit of the President of Sri Lanka to a foreign warship after assuming office in January 2015, but also the first Head of State visit to the Indian Navy’s biggest warship and aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya. The fact that this visit of the ship to Colombo was the first ever foreign port being visited by the ship after being inducted into the Indian Navy makes the visit of the President onboard even more remarkable.