India set to reset, deepen ties with Sri Lanka

New Delhi - As an immediate neighbour, India has stepped on the accelerator and is being a first responder to the Covid crisis in Sri Lanka

After a lean phase, India and Sri Lanka are set to re-engage at diplomatic and political levels amidst the huge financial crisis and the severe Covid-19 wave that has gripped the island country.

Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla will be in Sri Lanka on Saturday on a three-day visit, where he will call on top leadership, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister GL Peiris and his counterpart Jayanath Colombage.

During his trip, the Shringla will also travel to Kandy, Trincomalee and Jaffna and also visit Jaffna Cultural Centre, which is being built with India’s assistance.

As an immediate neighbour, India has stepped on the accelerator and is being a first responder to the Covid crisis in Sri Lanka. New Delhi has supplied to Colombo 100 tons of liquid medical oxygen, 26 tons of medicines and delivered half a million Covid vaccines.

India has also aided the Suwa Seriya programme and provided free ambulances which now runs in all provinces of Sri Lanka and played an instrumental role in its fight against Covid-9.

Sri Lanka has been demanding more supplies of Covid vaccines from India. Now that India has announced that it will open exports of vaccines, Sri Lanka can be a beneficiary.

To ease the economic stress caused by the pandemic, India is exploring and assessing ways to provide financial assistance to Sri Lanka.

Earlier this year, Sri Lanka did a $400 million currency swap with India and it is likely to have another currency swap soon.

India has given a huge line of credit to rebuild northern Sri Lanka ravaged by war, especially railways. India has small and big projects all over Sri Lanka.

During his visit, Shringla will review the progress made in energy and developmental projects.

Indian company Adani has recently entered a strategic deal with Sri Lanka ports authority to build a $700 million deep-sea container terminal and the company will be controlling 51 per cent of the Colombo West International Terminal.

Earlier, Sri Lanka had unceremoniously pushed out India and Japan from the East Container Terminal of Colombo Port.

Meanwhile, the issue of the 13th amendment and devolution has been sidelined by the Rajapaska government, and while re-engaging with leadership, India will be discussing this issue and would also like to see some progress made in this aspect.

Sir Lanka foreign minister GL Peiris in a recent meeting with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on the sidelines of UNGA said that his country is working to address the post-ethnic war issues.

India has maintained a high-level contact with the Lankan leadership, EAM also visited Sri Lanka in January, where he stated that it was in the interest of the neighbouring country that the Tamil people's expectation for equality, justice, peace and dignity are fulfilled.

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Maritime security is also a key element of India’s engagement with Sri Lanka, Colombo security conclave has been promoted by India.

This is currently a trilateral arrangement between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The three countries deal with issues of the illicit narcotics trade, drug trafficking, terrorism and growing radicalisation in the region, the secretariat has also been established in Colombo, recently deputy NSA’s met in Colombo.

Bangladesh, Mauritius and Seychelles also participated as observers, and talks are on with these countries to formally join the grouping as permanent members.

• India