COLOMBO: India has assured Sri Lanka of full assistance and said it may ‘consider ‘further financial assistance’ to help the island tide over the unprecedented economic crisis. Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra led a delegation that included secretary to Department of Economic Affairs Ajay Seth, Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran, and Kartik Pande, Joint Secretary, Indian Ocean Region, Ministry of External Affairs, to Colombo on 23 June to hold brainstorming sessions with top decision-makers.
The visiting Indian delegation met with Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for discussions on the island nation’s economic crisis.
PM Wickremesinghe was accompanied by Secretary to the Prime Minister Saman Ekanayake, Governor of the Central Bank Dr. N. Weerasinghe, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, M. Siriwardena and Senior Advisor on Economic Matters Dr. R. Samaratunga.
In the meeting with Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, the two sides had an i -depth discussion on the Sri Lankan economy and efforts undertaken by the Government of Sri Lanka towards achieving economic recovery.
In this context, both sides highlighted the importance of promoting India-Sri Lanka investment partnership including in the fields of infrastructure, connectivity, renewable energy and deepening economic linkages between the two countries, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.
The delegation had meetings with Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of Sri Lanka and H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka during the visit. The talks between the two sides were held in a frank, cordial and constructive manner.
The Indian delegation underscored that the unprecedented recent economic, financial and humanitarian assistance of over US$ 3.5 billion to the people of Sri Lanka was, guided by ‘Neighborhood First’ policy and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
During the call on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the Indian side thanked the President of Sri Lanka for his commitment to the development of India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations. Both sides had a productive exchange of views on the current economic situation in Sri Lanka as well as India’s ongoing support.
The Foreign Secretary of India also had a separate meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ambassador Aruni Wijewardena. They agreed to work in close coordination towards strengthening diplomatic engagement and undertaking a bilateral visit at an early date.
The Sri Lankan side appreciated the consistent support of the Government and people of India over the past few years in a variety of fields such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, disaster management, humanitarian assistance, development cooperation, commercial engagement and people-to-people ties.
The Indian High Commission recalled that development assistance extended by India stands at over USD 5 billion with more than USD 600 million being in grants, which include the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity Project. India continues to be the largest source of tourism for Sri Lanka.
A statement from the Indian High Commission said: “Both sides highlighted the importance of promoting India-Sri Lanka investment partnership including in the fields of infrastructure, connectivity, renewable energy, and deepening economic linkages between the two countries.”
The Sri Lankan side also welcomed the support extended by India during the meetings at the IMF in March this year and on subsequent occasions in different forums including regional and plurilateral organizations. They further acknowledged the initiatives taken by the Indian leadership in encouraging other countries to support Sri Lanka in dealing with the post-COVID normalization of economic activity.
