Anura Kumara Dissanayake is in New Delhi for a state visit. He chose India as his first bilateral visit after victories in presidential and parliamentary polls. Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday thanked India for economic support during the island nation’s financial meltdown and crucial assistance in restructuring bilateral debt. Dissanayake is on his first bilateral visit to New Delhi after assuming power in Colombo.
“We faced an unprecedented economic crisis some 2 years ago and India supported us immensely to come out of that quagmire. It has also helped us immensely after that, especially in the debt-free structuring process,” said Dissanayake, noting that his country secures a very significant place in India’s foreign policy. Issuing a joint press statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s bilateral projects in Sri Lanka is “always” based on Colombo’s “development priorities”. “India has so far provided 5 billion dollars in line of credit and grant assistance to Sri Lanka. We have cooperation in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka,” PM Modi said.
The prime minister also announced new projects including assistance for the rehabilitation of the signalling system at the Maho-Anuradhapura railway section and Kankesanthurai Port. He also announced monthly scholarships to 200 students in the universities of Jaffna and Eastern Province. In the next 5 years, India will also train 1500 civil servants from Sri Lanka, PM Modi announced. “Along with housing, renewable energy and infrastructure, India will also cooperate for the development of agriculture, dairy and fisheries in Sri Lanka. India will also participate in the unique digital identity project in Sri Lanka,” PM Modi added.
Sri Lanka’s assurance
The Sri Lankan president also assured that his country will not allow its territory to be used in “any manner” that is detrimental to India’s interest. “PM Modi assured us full support and he also assured us that he will always protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka,” Dissanayake said.
“The cooperation with India will certainly flourish and I want to reassure our continued support for India,” he added. PM Modi said that India will soon finalise a defence cooperation agreement with Sri Lanka. “Cooperation on hydrography has also been agreed upon. We believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development. Under this, cooperation will be enhanced on topics like maritime security, counter terrorism, cyber-security, fight against smuggling and organised crime, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” he added.
