Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday sought a devolution of powers to the Sri Lankan Tamils as he took up their cause with the visiting counterpart of the island nation Mahinda Rajapaksa. Modi said he was confident that the Sri Lankan Government will realise the expectations of equality, justice, peace and respect of the Tamil people within a united Sri Lanka as per its constitution.
After holding wide-ranging talks with Rajapaksa, Modi said the issue was discussed with an “open mind” and hoped that the Tamil reconciliation process would be taken forward by Colombo.
The two leaders also deliberated on several key issues like bolstering anti-terror cooperation, expansion of trade and investment ties, implementation of joint projects in Sri Lanka and resolving the long-festering fishermen issue with a “humane approach.” In his comments, Rajapaksa thanked Modi for his Government’s ‘neighbourhood first policy’ and the priority he attaches to ties with Sri Lanka.
On the long-pending Tamil issue, Modi said it will be necessary to implement the 13th amendment of the Sri Lankan Constitution. The 13th amendment provides for devolution of power to Tamil community in the neighbouring country.
“We held a discussion with an open mind on issues relating to reconciliation in Sri Lanka. I am confident that the Government of Sri Lanka will fulfill the expectations
of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace, and respect within a United Sri Lanka,” Modi said.
“It will be necessary to implement the 13th amendment of (Sri Lankan) Constitution and take forward the reconciliation process at the same time,” he said.
India has been urging Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment which was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987 which envisaged devolution of powers to the Tamils.
Rajapaksa’s five-day visit to India assumes significance as his tenure as Sri Lanka’s President from 2005 to 2016 saw expansion of China’s footprints in the Indian Ocean island nation, triggering concerns in India.
The Chinese influence in Sri Lanka covers infrastructure development including the construction of the Hambantota sea port there, growing investment, economic aid and trade. Moreover, Sri Lanka in the last few years is favouring the Chinese over the long-standing ally India thereby causing concern in New Delhi.
The growing ties between Sri Lanka and China, moreover, signifies Beijing’s clout in the countries located on the rim of the strategically important Indian Ocean region where India is the key player. Also, the growing maritime prowess of China and its increasing presence in the Indian Ocean region in the last ten to 12 years is also posing a challenge to India’s strategic interests.
In this backdrop, Modi said “stability, security and prosperity in Sri Lanka is in India’s interest, but also in the interest of the entire Indian Ocean Region,” in his media statement. He said India has been a “trusted partner” in Sri Lanka’s development and will continue to assist the country in its journey for peace and development.
Calling terrorism a major threat facing the region, Modi mentioned about the ‘Easter Day terror attacks’ in Sri Lanka last year and asserted that both countries will expand cooperation to deal with the challenge.
“We both countries have fought this problem firmly. There were painful and barbaric terrorist attacks on Easter Day in Sri Lanka in April last year. These attacks were not only a blow to Sri Lanka, but also to humanity. In our talks, we discussed furthering our anti-terror cooperation,” Modi said.
Rajapaksa said a part of the discussions centred around ensuring security for
both the countries, and expressed gratitude to India for helping his country in countering terrorism.
“India is our closest neighbour and long-standing friend. The close historical links have provided solid foundation to our ties,” Rajapaksa said. India had announced a financial assistance of USD 450 million to Sri Lanka, including USD 50 million to fight terrorism, during the visit of the country’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in November last year.
Referring to the fishermen issue, Modi said both sides have decided to adopt a humanitarian approach in dealing with it. “It directly affects the livelihood of the people of both countries. Therefore, we agreed to continue to adopt a constructive and humanitarian approach in dealing with the issue,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the history of India-Lanka relationship has been woven with countless threads like culture, religion, art and language.
Rajapaksa, elder brother of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, arrived here on Friday on a five-day visit, his first overseas tour after being appointed as prime minister of the island nation in November last year. After his official engagement in Delhi, Mahinda Rajapaksa will travel to Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodh Gaya and Tirupati.
In the morning, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister was given a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the Sri Lankan Prime Minister.