Dec 16, Colombo: The Chief of Indian Army General Bikram Singh will visit Sri Lanka this week to hold discussions on further strengthening the bilateral defence ties.

Indian Army Commander is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on a 3-day visit from December 18. During his visit he is scheduled to meet the country's top leadership, including President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The Army chief's visit amid the strong opposition from the Tamil Nadu political parties against any defence cooperation with Sri Lanka is aimed at finding ways to enhance cooperation between the two armies in training, military hardware and joint exercises.

General Singh will visit the security forces headquarters in Vavuniya during his tour in the north, north central and central provinces, the Sri Lankan army said.

The visiting military leader will also visit the rehabilitation center in Vavuniya for former LTTE combatants.

The armies of the two countries are expected to hold a joint Army exercise next year and details of cooperation have been discussed during the visit of Sri Lanka's Defense Secretary Gotabhaya to New Delhi in October.