New Delhi: Two recent and hitherto unannounced defence pacts signed between India and Sri Lanka came to light after the latter’s Ministry of Defence issued a media clarification on Tuesday, March 29, saying that these pacts will not hamper the island nation’s national security, the Hindu reported.The media statement details a “floating dock facility” that the Union government has provided to Sri Lanka as well as a “Dornier reconnaissance aircraft”, both reportedly provided at no cost.Both the floating dock and the reconnaissance aircraft have been mentioned in bilateral talks between the two nations before, however, Tuesday’s media statement was the first time the signing of these pacts have received any official confirmation.The Dornier aircraft is used for maritime surveillance and provides information vital to search and rescue operations, among other things. The defence ministry statements notes that an Indian team will remain in Sri Lanka until the latter’s Air Force has gained the requisite expertise.Sri Lankan defence ministry spokesperson Nalin Herath, speaking to the Hindu, confirmed that the pacts were signed on March 16 by a defence ministry secretary on the Sri Lankan side and an official of the Indian High Commission in Colombo.The media statement also noted that the deals would reduce the country’s annual outlay for docking repairs by 600 million Sri Lankan Rupees (LKR) and that the “proposal has been in the pipeline since 2015”.The Sri Lankan defence ministry’s clarification comes after opposition politicians in the country raised concerns about Sri Lanka’s “national security” and “sovereignty” in the face of several defence agreements being signed between the two countries.Harin Fernando, an MP from the opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) party claimed that Sri Lanka had “sold its airspace” to India and that the country runs the risk of entering into a “regional war” with India controlling its “seas and skies” while China retains control over the Hambantota port.The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party, another political opposition, claimed that Sri Lanka was signing these pacts in return for the $1 billion line of credit India extended to it in March this year to help tide over the ongoing financial crisis in the country.Also read: Jaishankar Offers India’s Help After Sri Lankan Hospital Suspends SurgeriesIn February, too, India had extended a $500 million line of credit to its southern neighbour to help it purchase petroleum products during its severe foreign exchange and energy crisis.The current revelations come as Indian foreign affairs minister S. Jaishankar is on a visit to Sri Lanka. While the primary focus of his visit is the Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit, he had several appointments with high-profile figures in the Sri Lankan government before the summit was to begin.These included meetings with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his foreign minister G.L. Peiris.During Jaishankar’s meeting with Peiris, another maritime defence pact was signed including one relating to the provision Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), among others. The MRCC will cover multiple naval bases in regions on the Sri Lankan coast, including Hambantota, where China operates a port.