Distinguished Experts, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Students and Friends!
- We have just had a successful visit of the new President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Disanayaka to India as his first foreign visit after assuming office. In the statement to the media after the talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized the importance of adopting a futuristic vision to this key relationship that the two countries share.
- India and Sri Lanka share a common South Asian identity based on a millennia old strong civilizational connect. Due to the binding pre-Buddhist Hindu and Buddhist heritage and our shared sub-continental geography, the imagery of this connect is very deep in popular mind and perception among both peoples. Modern-day relations draw inspiration from this heritage and seek to build a co-periphery of enduring peace, stability, prosperity and integrativeness.
- A country’s geographic location must be harnessed for the security, prosperity and welfare of its people and the region. Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean Region close to the sea lanes of communication has been important since ancient connectivity and colonial era trade routes. In modern times, it is the basis for Sri Lanka’s vision to become an international maritime and commercial hub – a vision in which India as a regional country is ready to partner to mutual benefit.
- The current day geopolitical turmoil and competition between great powers for hold on global supply chains and global trade and commerce is, however, adversely impacting the diplomatic space especially of island nations of the Indo-Pacific, making them face choices which they should not feel compelled to make.
- Today, Sri Lanka is one of the closest neighbours to India and occupies a central place in India’s “neighbourhood first” policy and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision. Sri Lanka’s emphasis on secure and prosperous Indian Ocean, freedom of navigation, rules based order has commonalities with India’s view and outlook.
- The present geo-political situation necessitates cooperation at the regional and bilateral level to maintain peace and stability in the region. Sri Lanka and India are deepening maritime security cooperation both at the traditional and non-traditional security front bilaterally through confidence-building military and naval exercises and through regional mechanisms such as BIMSTEC, IORA, Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) as also trilateral military exercises with neighbours like Maldives. Cooperation in hydrography is also important in this regard.
- Friends, it is also important to underline India’s role as a first responder for Sri Lanka in times of crises. Help extended by India to recover from the 2004 Tsunami, flood relief in 2017, intelligence sharing to address non-traditional threats such as during the April 2019 Eastern Sunday attacks in Colombo, help provided during Covid-19, cooperation extended by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to its Sri Lankan counterparts in fire-fighting operation in 2020 and in 2021 on vessels to avert large scale environmental damage in Sri Lankan waters are few examples that demonstrated India’s commitment to act in times of crises for the benefit of the friendly people of Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Modi has noted the need to further enhance bilateral cooperation in HADR.
- India has been the first responder to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and the first country to provide financial help in the economic recovery process, and did not wait for action from other bilateral creditors of Sri Lanka. It provided nearly $4 billion financial aid, gave financial assurances to the IMF on Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring process and played an important role as Co-Chair of the Official Creditors Committee along with France and Japan to help Sri Lanka in its economic recovery process.
- Promoting all-encompassing connectivity between the two nations in key areas of maritime, air, energy and power, people to people, trade, economic and financial connectivity is a shared commitment on either side which was reaffirmed during the just held visit by the leadership of both the countries, as also during EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka in October 2024.
- Efforts at strengthening longstanding bilateral relations are not devoid of persistent challenges. India has supported an inclusive reconciliation process within Sri Lanka, especially since 2009, which takes into account the welfare and well-being of the Tamil minority in an equal, secular and diverse Sri Lankan socio-economic set up.
- The fishermen issue, fishing in each other’s waters, certain fishing practices and fishermen arrests is a persistent irritant in bilateral relations. India looks forward to a durable humanitarian solution to the issue based on understanding of each other’s concerns.
- Combating organized crime and smuggling are also objectives that need to be elevated in the bilateral relationship.
- As I mentioned earlier, cultural cooperation and people to people ties are of key importance in the context of India-Sri Lanka relations. Efforts to revive cultural, religious interactions, restoration of religious places, spiritual and wellness tourism are important. India has granted assistance to restore the Thiruketheeswaram Temple in Mannar, North of Sri Lanka. The temple is one of the five sacred Ishwarams dedicated to Lord Shiva. Allocation of $15 million grant assistance by India to Sri Lanka in 2023 to bolster Buddhist linkages is another important endeavour as part of which, in July 2020, the Government of India declared the Kushinagar Airport in India, the place of Lord Buddha's Mahaparinirvana, as an international airport and the first inaugural flight to this airport was from Sri Lanka. Pilgrim tourism has the potential to strengthen people to people ties based on faith and the shared sacred geography of the sub-continent. Popularizing the Buddhist circuit, Ramayana trail as well as other places of worship of interest will contribute to this end.
- I must also mention that, as a top trading partner (USD 5.5 billion in FY 2023-24), India is looking to expand the scope of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Sri Lanka. It may also be noted that India’s US $ 5 bn worth development cooperation in Sri Lanka extends to all 25 districts of Sri Lanka and we look forward to strengthening our development partnership.
- Friends, in the last two years, Sri Lanka has faced enormous economic and political difficulties and tried to find a way out of the crisis with the help of bilateral and international partners. Sri Lanka’s recent political shift witnessed through presidential and parliamentary elections is the direct result of people’s desire for a change that can steer Sri Lanka to move towards sustainable economic recovery and political stability. The present leadership at the helm of Sri Lanka (JVP led National People’s Power (NPP) Government), therefore, has a huge responsibility to steer Sri Lanka out of the present uncertainties and make way for a Government that is inclusive as expected by the people of Sri Lanka.
- We are eager to hear from the panel about the implications of recent developments at the domestic front for Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and for the overall political landscape of Sri Lanka. How will India-Sri Lanka relations pan out in the future and what are the implications for regional security and prosperity? I look forward to an engaging discussion and I wish the panellists all the best.
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