Sri Lanka Unrest: No Refugee Crisis, India Trying To Help, Assures Jaishankar

Thiruvananthapuram: As unrest in Sri Lanka threatens to spiral out of control, neighbour and ‘big brother’ India assured the people of the island nation that it will continue to stand by them.

“India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and our two countries share deep civilizational bonds. We are aware of the many challenges that Sri Lanka and its people have been facing, and we have stood with the Sri Lankan people as they have tried to overcome this difficult period,” Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday.

“We continue to follow closely the recent developments in Sri Lanka. India stands with the people of Sri Lanka and is trying to help them as they seek to realize their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established institutions and constitutional framework,” Jaishankar added.

The minister, who arrived in Thiruvananthapuram on a three-day Kerala visit, told reporters outside the airport that there was “no refugee crisis right now.”

Considering the acute economic crisis in Sri Lanka, there is an apprehension that there could be an exodus across the Palk Strait since India is the closest neighbour.

“They are right now working through their problems, so we have to wait and see what they do,” Jaishankar said on the political situation in Sri Lanka.