Sri Lanka requires India’s consent for full disclosure of Defence MoU, says Cabinet Spokesperson

Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that the full disclosure of the recently signed Defence Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India cannot proceed without India’s consent.

Addressing the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing held yesterday (22) at the Government Information Department, Dr. Jayatissa responded to mounting public and political scrutiny over the agreement.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to transparency but noted that certain provisions of the MoU fall under bilateral confidentiality, requiring mutual agreement between the two nations before they can be made public.

“While we are prepared to be transparent, the nature of this agreement involves sensitive security-related information. Therefore, revealing all aspects without India’s consent would not be appropriate,” Dr. Jayatissa added.