Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe congratulated Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake when he paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at the Temple Trees, yesterday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe extending his warm wishes and greetings to the new Commander of the Army appreciated his good work and multifarious services of the Army, being performed across the country for the sake of the country’s best interests.

During cordial discussions that ensued, Prime Minister expressed his pleasure about right decisions and measures that had been taken by Lieutenant General Senanayake as the then Jaffna Commander, responding to the concerns of Jaffna people.

He spoke high of the Commander’s several bold moves when he was the Jaffna Commander and praised him for his courage to implement those different projects for the best interests of the community.

Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake explained to the Prime Minister about the structural changes he intends to implement in the organization in future and transform the soldier to be a ‘capacity-based’ one rather than a ‘threat-based’ soldier while simultaneously enhancing the professional standards of all ranks.

He also told the Prime Minister about his intention of raising the Army to be a full-fledged and professional one to suit the challenges in the ever-changing global security scenario.

In response, the Prime Minister told the Commander that he would also be willing to assist Army middle-grade Officers who are interested in reading for Business Administration degrees while in service and other vocational studies even after retirement. Requesting the Commander to continue with the ongoing nation-building roles of the Army,

Likewise, the Prime Minister endorsed the Commander’s views on the need for Army reforms and other structural changes.

Prime Minister also inquiring into training modules of the Army underlined the need to mould the future soldier to match with international standards as global challenges and security scenarios are always changing.

Towards the end of the courtesy call, Lieutenant General Senanayake presented a replica of a symbolic sword to the Prime Minister as a memento of his visit to the PM’s office.