Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla commenced his four-day visit to Sri Lanka on October 2. During the visit, he intends to bring up several issues to bolster bilateral relations, including infrastructure projects and tourism.
On Monday, Shringla met with several Sri Lankan political leaders including Prime Minister (PM) Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister GL Peiris, who participated in the inauguration ceremony of India-funded housing and education projects. He also met with his Sri Lankan counterpart Jayanth Colombage, during which they discussed enhancing economic and commercial bilateral ties.
During his discussions with PM Rajapaksa, Shringla spoke of the need to enhance bilateral cooperation in connectivity projects. He said, “With the easing of the situation in Sri Lanka, it may be opportune for us to work on connectivity initiatives like the Jaffna to Chennai flight, ferry services between Karaikal and Kankesanthurai, and Dhanushkodi and Talaimanar and the Buddhist corridor with the new international airport at Kushinagar.” All of these initiatives are either paused or delayed projects that India has already begun work on. In light of the progress made by both countries in their vaccine drives, he then highlighted the need to restart tourism.
Shringla also visited Jaffna and Kandy, which indicated the Indian government’s intention to revive discussions on the Tamil reconciliation issue. According to a tweet by the Indian High Commission, he visited the Jaffna Cultural Centre, which was built with Indian assistance. Shringla plans on pressing the Sri Lankan government to work towards the complete implementation of the 13th amendment, which was brought into the Sri Lankan Constitution following an accord with India. According to the amendment, the government is obligated to devolve certain powers to provincial councils in order to allow for a degree of self-governance on matters such as education, health, agriculture, housing, land, and police.
In the coming days, Shringla will bring up the need to expand the Colombo Security Conclave, which sees the participation of India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives and the recently inducted Bangladesh, Seychelles, and Mauritius.
According to sources cited by The Print, the Indian official will also discuss China’s rapidly growing infrastructure projects in the country. It said that he will urge the island nation not to “favour China at the cost of their relationship with India.” Shringla will also raise concern about the delays in India-funded projects, specifically the project in Trincomalee for establishing an oil storage facility.
Since coming into power, the Rajapaksa duo has given several infrastructure and connectivity projects to China, raising its debt with the Asian giant. This has been a cause for concern for India, along with its Western allies, who are growing uneasy with China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Indian Foreign Secretary Shringla to Bring Up Rising Chinese Projects on Sri Lanka Trip
During his four-day visit to Sri Lanka, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla spoke of enhancing bilateral relations through infrastructure and connectivity projects.
October 5, 2021
Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla SOURCE: THE HINDU