Colombo: Sri Lanka seems to be sparing no effort in trying to convince India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of its desire for stronger bilateral ties. On Saturday morning, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Colombo’s Independence Square by Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Some said that a ceremony of that kind is a first for a visiting dignitary.
Dissanayake later conferred Modi with the ‘Mithra Vibhushana’, the highest civilian honour for a visitor to the country. The Sri Lankan president later said that his country will not allow its territory to be used in manner inimical to India’s security interests. This statement is crucial at a time when India has expressed concern over the presence of People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships and Chinese research vessels in Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.
China has already made considerable inroads into the island nation by financing the Hambantota Port along Sri Lanka’s southern coast. A section of this port has now been taken over by the Chinese and is being used as a logistics base for PLAN assets.
Modi, in his speech, highlighted India’s role in helping Sri Lanka during every crisis, be it after the 2019 terror strike, the pandemic or the economic crisis of 2022. In 2022, after the country’s fuel reserves nearly ran out, India not only replenished stocks but also allowed civilian aircraft from Sri Lanka to refuel at Indian airports to prevent the country from being totally cut off from the rest of the world.
After talks between Modi and Dissanayake, India and Sri Lanka signed a landmark defence deal that involves joint maritime surveillance, drills and transfer of equipment. Incidentally, the Indian Navy’s stealth frigate INS Sahyadri berthed at the Colombo port on Friday, barely hours before Modi’s jet landed at the Bandaranaike International Airport in the Sri Lankan capital city.
The two countries also signed deals to develop Trincomalee into an hub to meet the country’s growing energy requirements. The two leaders also virtually inaugurated the Sampur solar power project. Other Memorandums of Understanding were signed in fields such as healthcare.
