Keen to start on a clean slate, Sri lanka’s new Government has touched base with India within a week of taking office. Sri lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New Delhi on Sunday to discuss priority areas for the two countries to work on.
The first meeting between the two Ministers sets stage for enhanced engagement between India-Sri lanka, said officials. In fact, Samaraweera, who made his first overseas trip since appointment, told Swaraj that a visit within five days of being sworn in reflects new Government’s priorities. While cosying up with India, the lankan Minister said his three-day visit was intended to put the two countries’ relationship back on track, which was not at its best during President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government.
In fact, lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe has blamed former President Rajapaksa for trying to play China against India and that his Government will redress the pro-China tilt of the Rajapaksa regime. “President Rajapaksa’s regime tried to play China against India and India against China but it came a cropper,” said Wickramasinghe.
Taking the new relationship forward, the two Foreign Ministers discussed a whole gamut of issues, including the frequent fishing disputes and Indian concerns about the treatment of Sri lankan Tamils.
Besides, enhancing economic cooperation and improving political connect too was also discussed. In fact, Samaraweera is carrying an invitation from the new lankan President for PM Narendra Modi to visit the Island nation. He also invited Swaraj to Colombo. It is learnt the Minister will visit lanka soon to attend a joint commission meeting.
MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said the talks were substantive in nature and yielded several outcomes. For instance, the two countries decided to re-engage on the issue of Tamil refugees currently living in India. Talks in this regard between concerned officials are expected to begin by January-end.
As per estimates, more than one lakh lankan refugees are in Tamil Nadu. Samaraweera also informed Swaraj about his Government’s plans for political reconciliation with lankan Tamils. Though the new Government under President Maithripala Sirisena has made it clear it will not pursue war crimes charges against Rajapaksa, the lankan Foreign Minister apprised India of the new Government’s 100-day plans for the Northern Province. Sirisena has decided to replace a Governor from the Northern Province with a member of the lessons learnt and Reconciliation Committee, besides holding nationwide Parliamentary elections within 100 days.
The lankan Foreign Minister informed Swaraj that his Government is working on the modus operandi on releasing the boats of fishermen, seized during their arrests. About 87 boats lay in lankan custody, which, Samaraweera assured, will be released at the earliest. Both Ministers felt it was time for the fishermen’s associations of both sides to engage among themselves for a long term solution to the oft-occurring crisis relating to fishermen of both sides.