President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India has served as a significant platform to strengthen cooperation and collaboration between the two nations, said minister of foreign affairs Ali Sabry.
“We look forward to translating the shared vision into concrete actions that will yield lasting benefits for Sri Lanka, India, and the entire region,” said the minister.
He said India’s invaluable assistance during past economic crises, included financial relief and leadership in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
President Wickremesinghe expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian Government for their unwavering support on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government and its people.
Minister Sabry was addressing a press conference at the Presidential Media Centre yesterday (22) on the two-day official visit of President Wickremesinghe to India and the vision of the India-Sri Lanka Economic Partnership.
The minister said recognising that progress and taking it to the next stage for Sri Lanka necessitates investments and market opportunities.
"We firmly believe that a collaborative approach with India will yield substantial benefits. Discussions with Prime Minister Modi included not only inter-governmental matters but also emphasised collaboration between the private sectors to reach mutually beneficial agreements.”
An important consideration was the possibility of adopting the Indian rupee as a valid currency in Sri Lanka, with anticipated arrangements to facilitate seamless business transactions for Indian tourists visiting our country, similar to the successful approach adopted with Singapore, he said.
“We explored avenues to bolster the strong relationship between India and Sri Lanka. The current daily flights between India and the Palali airport and the potential for a future passenger ferry service were among the topics discussed. Improving internal airline relations was also a key area of inquiry,” he said.
Minister Sabry said the prospect of promoting cruise tourism emerged as an appealing initiative to strengthen ties in the tourism sector, given its attraction to Indian tourists and its potential to revitalise Sri Lanka’s tourism industry.
With the South Indian region experiencing rapid development, both nations’ leaders recognised the strategic importance of connecting ports to ensure that Sri Lanka can leverage the economic growth in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
Scholars are actively engaged in discussions to devise a framework to establish these port connections, leading to a consensus among leaders to present it to Parliament for a decision, the minister said.
“Anticipating that renewable energy could meet 70 percent of our country’s national electricity needs by 2030, we are keen to explore the market potential for exporting surplus energy. Deliberations on creating a conducive environment for the export of solar and wind power were extensive, culminating in a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate collaborative efforts.”
“Opportunities for cooperation in green hydrogen and green ammonia through innovative technologies were explored,” he said.
The minister said in recognition of the significance of technical knowledge for the advancement of Sri Lanka’s agricultural sector, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to acquire expertise in various fields, including animal husbandry and dairy production.
Appreciating India’s substantial progress in digitisation, he said, “we sought technical assistance to accelerate our own digitisation efforts in Sri Lanka. In the realm of education, collaboration between Indian and Sri Lankan universities was bolstered, with contemplation on the possibility of investing in setting up a prominent Indian university within our borders.”
He said, “Turning our attention to the plantation Tamil community of Indian origin residing in Sri Lanka for the past two centuries, India has expressed its commitment to implement several programs aimed at their progress, with a notable investment of Indian Rupees 750 million.”
The prospect of setting up a university in Nuwara Eliya was also a subject of discussion, paving the way for future agreements.
Attention was devoted to addressing the concerns of the fishing community, with a focus on gradually halting bottom trawling in the North and seeking opportunities for Sri Lankan fishermen to operate beyond the Indian border.
Constructive dialogue between the two parties remains the cornerstone to resolve these issues.
Minister Sabry said that President Wickremesinghe’s desire is to make the most of the development opportunities in the Indian Ocean region, which is the world’s largest emerging economic region.
He said, “We firmly believe that fostering a robust and enduring relationship with our close and longstanding partner, India, holds significant advantages for Sri Lanka and the entire region.”
Both sides unanimously agreed on the imperative of maintaining the entire Indian Ocean region as a safe zone, acting collectively with the utmost commitment to safeguard mutual security, the minister added.
