British High Commission’s Defence section to close down

The British High Commission in Colombo announced that it would continue its bilateral defence relationship with Sri Lanka without residential Defence representation in Colombo.
In response to the claims that the Defence section in the High Commission in Colombo would be closed down soon, a spokesman for the Commission in Colombo said that it had decided to remove the resident Defence Adviser from Colombo and close the Defence section stating that it “looked carefully at our global representation and where we could continue our bilateral Defence relationship without residential Defence representation.”

He also said that the British Defence Ministry has had to “prioritise its resources in the face of the increased costs of the Defence Attache network together with other financial pressures.” However the spokesman also stated that its Defence relationship with Sri Lanka will not be covered from the British High Commission in New Delhi.

“The Ministry of Defence in London will continue to monitor developments in Sri Lanka, and if the situation requires, may deploy individuals for short terms,” he added.