Sri Lanka-India MoUs and their implications

Of the several MOUs signed by the President of Sri Lanka during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka, the most consequential in respect of implications for Sri Lanka is the one associated with the Defence Cooperation.

- BY NEVILLE LADDUWAHETTY

Neither the public nor the Parliament is aware of its contents. What the public could glean about the scope of this vital MOU are from articles written by concerned citizens like the one by Dayapala Thiranagama in the Daily FT of April 10, 2025. Source of his material is from statements made by the President during political rallies relating to the Defence Cooperation MOU. One such statement is cited below. This reflects a seismic shift in respect of Sri Lanka’s relations not only with India, but also with other Nation-States, that is disturbing to say the least, because of its implications on Sri Lanka’s autonomy to act independently to support each Nation-State and define its own destiny; a status Sri Lanka defended for nearly 2500 years despite repeated interruptions over the years.

SECURING ASSISTANCE

Justifying the need for Defence Cooperation with India, President Dissanayake is reported to have stated the following at an election meeting in Galle:

“We need security in this region. We need to safeguard the security of this region. What is a policy of this sort that could Sri Lanka contribute towards the “security of this region”, or is there a clear understanding as to how Sri Lanka and India are going to undertake safeguarding the security of the region? Whatever it may be, there is no doubt that the contribution Sri Lanka can contribute towards the “security of this region”. We should secure the assistance of those that have greater technological capacities in defence, greater skills in defence. If not, how can a country move forward? For 76 years, the world developed rapidly in science and technology. The world developed rapidly in military science. Now, what should we do? We must secure the assistance of those states which have accepted new science and technology. Don’t we have to do that?” (Ibid).