Republic of India - Republic of Sri Lanka Relations

[Hindustani78]

Ranil Wickremesinghe with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and former PM Manmohan Singh in New Delhi .


Sri Lankan PM to hold talks with Modi today; focus on pending projects

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wikremesinghe met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Friday, ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Wikremesinghe met Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Anand Sharma.

After the meeting, Mr. Gandhi said on social media that he welcomed the Sri Lankan Prime Minister, highlighting the “historical and traditional ties” between the two countries.

According to officials present at the meet, Mr. Wikremesinghe and Mr. Gandhi discussed bilateral ties, recent international developments, as well as the “political scenario” in both countries.

Mr. Wikremesinghe’s three-day official visit comes on the heels of a political controversy breaking out in Sri Lanka over comments reportedly made by President Maithripala Sirisena on the need for investigating a possible link between an assassination plot against Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi allegedly by the national of British colonies and British intelligence agencies, and although the Sri Lankan government has denied blaming Republic of India in any way for the plot, the issue is likely to be prominent during Mr. Wikremesinghe’s visit.

Port projects
On the agenda for the talks on Saturday are a slew of Indian proposals for projects that still await clearance in Sri Lanka, including port projects in Colombo, an LNG terminal, an oil storage facility in Trincomalee, as well as a proposed joint venture to run the Mattala airport near Hambantota over which there is considerable confusion. The revised version of the India-Sri Lanka preferential trade treaty, the Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement (ETCA), which was first proposed by Mr. Wikremesinghe, has also made little progress despite the Prime Minister announcing it would be completed in 2016. Officials said all the pending projects would be discussed, although no MoUs or agreements were expected to be signed on Saturday.

Mr. Wikremesinghe will begin the day with a meeting with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, following which External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on him. He will meet Mr. Modi for talks followed by lunch, and then will leave for Colombo on Saturday evening.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi meeting the Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on October 20, 2018.

The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe calling on the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on October 20, 2018.

The Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe signing the visitors’ book, at Hyderabad House, in New Delhi on October 20, 2018. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi is also seen.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe during a meeting in New Delhi on October 20, 2018. | Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy


The talks at the Hyderabad House came on the third and final day of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s India visit.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Saturday held talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi on a range of issues related to bilateral ties, including the progress of India assisted development projects in the island nation.

The talks at the Hyderabad House came on the third and final day of the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s India visit.

“Special place in our hearts for Sri Lanka. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomes the Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe. At the delegation level talks, the leaders took stock of the entire range of our bilateral relations, specially the development projects in Sri Lanka,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted along with pictures of the two leaders at the Hyderabad House.

During the visit, the two sides reviewed the status of the India assisted housing projects in Jaffna. They were also expected to deliberate on the Tamil issue — the reconciliation process and devolution of powers in the Tamil-dominated areas.

Media reports of Sirisena's 'accusation'

Mr. Wickremesinghe’s India visit comes in the backdrop of controversial media reports stating that Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, at a Cabinet meeting, allegedly accused Indian intelligence agency RAW of plotting his assassination. But this claim was firmly rejected as “false” by the Sri Lankan government.

Earlier in the day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj separately called on the visiting Sri Lankan leader.

Mr. Wickremesinghe and Mr. Singh discussed issues related to security and anti-terror cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.

In her meeting with the Sri Lankan Premier, Ms. Swaraj reviewed the progress of India assisted development projects in the island nation.

Mr. Wickremesinghe arrived on Thursday to boost ties in a range of areas, including trade, investment and maritime security.

On Friday, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi met Mr. Wickremesinghe and discussed cooperation between the two countries.