Won't allow Lankan territory to be used against India, says President Dissanayake

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday (December 16) conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the island nation's soil will not be allowed for use against India's interests, an assurance that came amid concerns in New Delhi over China's attempts to increase its influence over Colombo.

Dissanayake, on a three-day visit to India, held wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi that saw both sides deciding to soon conclude a defence cooperation agreement and ramp up energy ties by establishing electricity grid connectivity and multi-product petroleum pipelines.

In his media statement, Modi said he and the Sri Lankan president were in “full agreement” that security interests of both the countries are interconnected and it was decided to quickly finalise the security cooperation agreement.

Also read: Deep gratitude to India for bailing us out with $5 billion aid: Sri Lankan President Dissanayake

China’s ‘Mission Indian Ocean’

The assurance from Sri Lanka comes at a time when China is aggressively pursuing its ‘Mission Indian Ocean’, which targets India.

India has been expanding its overall defence and strategic ties with Sri Lanka amid concerns over China's attempts to increase its military presence in the Indian Ocean. It is to be noted that the docking of the Chinese missile and satellite tracking ship 'Yuan Wang' at Hambantota port in August 2022 had triggered a diplomatic row between India and Sri Lanka. Another Chinese warship docked at the Colombo port in August last year.

In August 2022, after New Delhi had raised its concern with Colombo, Sri Lanka had initially asked Beijing to defer its initial arrival and desist from such activity, but later allowed the Chinese ship to dock for 'replenishment'. Since then, the Chinese surveillance and spy ships have regularly been patrolling the Indian Ocean region and docking at Hambantota. With a robust tracking, sensing and communication relay system the Yuan Wang 5 is capable of detecting foreign satellites, aerial assets and missile systems.

China had taken possession of the Hambantota port for a lease of 99 years after Colombo was unable to repay $100 million annually for the $1.7 billion loan that it had taken for the construction of the port, the first phase of which was completed in 2010.

Sri Lanka urged to fulfil aspirations of Tamils

The prime minister said he and the Sri Lankan leader also deliberated on the fishermen issue and agreed that a "humanitarian approach" should be adopted on it.

Also read: Why the world will keenly watch Anura Dissanayake's visit to India in December

Modi hoped that the Sri Lankan government will fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people in the island nation. "We also talked about reconstruction and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. President Dissanayake apprised me of his inclusive perspective. We hope that the Sri Lankan government shall fulfil the aspirations of the Tamil people," Modi said.

"And that they shall fulfil their commitment towards fully implementing the constitution of Sri Lanka and conducting the provincial council elections," he said.

The Tamil community in Sri Lanka has been demanding the implementation of the 13th Amendment that provides for devolution of power to it. The 13th amendment was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

(With agency inputs)