'Will not allow our land to be used against India': Sri Lankan President Dissanayake assures PM Modi (WATCH)

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, currently on a three-day visit to India, assured New Delhi on Monday that Sri Lanka would not permit its territory to be used in any manner against India's interests.

Anish Kumar

First Published Dec 16, 2024, 3:49 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 16, 2024, 3:49 PM IST

New Delhi: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, currently on a three-day visit to India, assured New Delhi on Monday that Sri Lanka would not permit its territory to be used in any manner against India's interests. This statement follows India's repeated concerns over the docking of Chinese surveillance ships in Sri Lankan waters.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who assumed office in September 2024, chose India as the destination for his first overseas visit.

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Along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a joint press briefing at Hyderabad House in Delhi, Anura Kumara Dissanayake said: “I have also given an assurance to the Prime Minister of India that we will not allow our land to be used in any way in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India. The cooperation with India will certainly flourish and I want to reassure our continued support for India.”

With the growing presence of Chinese research vessels in the Indian Ocean Region, India has expressed concerns to Sri Lanka, urging it not to allow these ships to dock at its ports, fearing they could be used for espionage.

In October 2023, the Chinese research vessel Shi Yan 6 docked at Colombo Port for several days, while in 2022, the Yuan Wang 5 docked at Hambantota.

Following India's concerns, the Sri Lankan government imposed a ban on the entry of all foreign research vessels. However, reports suggest that Colombo is likely to lift this ban on foreign research ships visiting its ports starting in 2025.

During the joint press briefing, PM Modi said: “We completely agree that our security interests are interlinked. We have decided to finalise the Defence Cooperation Agreement soon. Cooperation on hydrography has also been agreed upon. We believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development.”

Under Colombo Security Conclave, “cooperation will be enhanced on topics like maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber-security, fight against smuggling and organised crime, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The people-to-people relations between India and Sri Lanka are linked to our civilisations,” the prime minister added.

PM Modi also said that India has so far provided USD 5 billion in line of credit and grant assistance to Sri Lanka.

“We have cooperation in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka and the selection of our projects is always based on the development priorities of the partner countries," he said.

Starting next year, under an education cooperation initiative, 200 students from universities in Jaffna and the Eastern Province will receive monthly scholarships.

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“In the next 5 years, 1500 civil servants of Sri Lanka will be trained in India. Along with housing, renewable energy and infrastructure, India will also cooperate for the development of agriculture, dairy and fisheries in Sri Lanka. India will also participate in the unique digital identity project in Sri Lanka,” PM Modi added.

Speaking on the issue of fishermen, the Sri Lankan president said: “We also want to find a durable and sustainable solution to the fishermen's issue that has become a plague for both our countries. There are bottom trawling systems being adopted by the fishermen in that area and that needs to be put an end to because that will spell doom to this industry."

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