On Saturday, in
the light of the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka and
India pledged to work to foster an enabling climate for trade and investment between
the two countries and deepen the integration of supply chains. Sri Lanka and
India have agreed to work towards the early realisation of infrastructure and
connectivity projects in the ports and energy sectors through close
consultations under the Bilateral Agreements and MoUs and a strong commitment
to a mutually beneficial partnership in development cooperation.
Among a host of
other issues discussed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime
Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa during a virtual summit on Saturday were economic
issues. The report claimed that Modi called on the Government of Sri Lanka to
address the Tamil people's aspirations for equality, justice, peace, and
respect within a united Sri Lanka, including pursuing the reconciliation process
with the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution.
In response,
Rajapaksa expressed trust that Sri Lanka will strive to meet the wishes of all
ethnic groups, including Tamils, by achieving reconciliation under the mandate
of the citizens of Sri Lanka and by enforcing the provisions of the
Constitution. Both leaders recalled the
active state visits to India in November 2019 and February of this year by
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa,
respectively, stating that these visits offered a healthy political path and
vision for the relationship's future.
The two leaders
have agreed to reinforce technical cooperation in agriculture, animal
husbandry, science and technology, healthcare, and AYUSH (Ayurveda, Unani,
Siddha, and homoeopathy). Further, they have agreed to reinforce technical skills
growth through expanded professional preparation, thereby realising the full
potential of both countries' demographic dividends. They also agreed to improve
people-to-people relations by discussing opportunities such as Buddhism,
Ayurveda, and yoga in civilisational links and shared heritage. The Indian Government
will facilitate the visit of a Buddhist pilgrim delegation from Sri Lanka on
the inaugural international flight to the holy city of Kushinagar, recently
declared as an international airport acknowledging its importance in Buddhism.
Prime Minister
Rajapaksa welcomed Prime Minister Modi's announcement of a $15 million grant
from India to foster Buddhist relations between the two countries. The donation
will help to deepen people-to-people ties between the two countries in the
Buddhist sphere, including through the construction/renovation of Buddhist
monasteries, capability growth, cultural exchanges, archaeological cooperation,
and mutual exposure of Buddha's relics, among other things.
OSL Take: The
meeting between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan Premier
has resulted in many positive developments. While the Indian leader's visit
sent the world a message of the close ties between India and Sri Lanka, India
also expressed its commitment to the island nation as it's a development
partner. All these would boost confidence levels of foreign businesses looking
at entering Sri Lanka's economy.
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