Modi’s Sri Lanka Visit: A Milestone...

Our relations are growing and diversifying into new and wider range of areas; first is infrastructure and connectivity; second, deeper economic engagement and energy security; third, upgrading trade investment ties; fourth, cultural and educational cooperation; and finally, the fifth, tourism and people-to-people contacts.

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Sri Lanka is an integral part of our Neighbourhood First Policy and the MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Region) approach.

For this reason, India extended a massive and unconditional financial assistance package of over USD 4 billion, the biggest that India has deployed ever in support to any country.

As Sri Lanka recovers from the economic crisis, it has a great opportunity to plug into India’s fast growing economy, which is the fifth largest and soon to be third largest. India’s GDP is more than three trillion US dollars in 2015 and 3.5 trillion in 2023 making it the fastest growing major economy.

TO TAKE THIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE HIGHER LEVELS, WHAT AS PER YOU CAN BOTH SIDES PRIORITISE AND WORK TOWARDS?

The India-Sri Lanka partnership has always and will continue to work towards ensuring the partnership delivers tangible benefits to the people on both sides. As Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour, it is India’s endeavour to share our best practices and exchange capacities in what has worked for us in India - be it digitisation, our growing renewable energy potential, infrastructure development and human resource and skill advancement.

The areas of cooperation that will define the India-Sri Lanka relationship going forward are the ones that will help both of our economies to grow together and be future-ready. In a world where re-globalisation demands diversified and resilient supply chains, we must endeavour to exploit the complementarities in our partnerships to enhance bilateral economic linkages.

WHAT STEPS ARE BEING TAKEN TO ENHANCE THESE ECONOMIC LINKAGES, ESPECIALLY ON INCREASING OUR BILATERAL TRADE THAT IS CURRENTLY AT GLOBAL INTERESTS GREAT?