The three-day State visit to India by President Anura Kumara Dissanayke and his team comprising Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and senior officials is a major milestone for the new National People’s Power (NPP) Government. This visit is in response to an official invitation extended by Indian President Droupadi Murmu.
President Dissanayake was elected on September 21 at the Presidential election and the Government he leads was chosen by the public on November 14 at the general election. Both these historical political developments occurred within the space of a few months.
This visit continues a tradition where all the previous Heads of State of Sri Lanka undertook an official visit to India within a few weeks or months after coming to power. It was only after visiting India that they chose to go to other countries on official visits.
This is, of course, not President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s first official visit to India per se in recent times, since he undertook a visit to India while he was still a candidate for the Presidential election. This was perhaps an unprecedented move on the part of India, since at that time President Dissanayake was not even the Opposition Leader.
Yet, this also indicated that India had “read” the groundswell for the NPP correctly several months before the NPP won the first of two consecutive elections. During this previous visit, he met External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and several other Indian leaders.
India is our big brother and the closest neighbour. The relations between the two neighbours go back to more than 2,500 years mainly through Buddhism, which was India’s greatest gift to Sri Lanka. In fact, yesterday, Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day, marked the arrival of Ven. Arahat Sanghamitta Theri from India with the right branch of the Sacred Sri Maha Bodhi, which is perhaps the most highly venerated religious monument in Sri Lanka after the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha in Kandy.
Buddhism itself was conveyed to Sri Lanka by the son of Emperor Asoka, Arahat Mahinda Thera on a Poson Full Moon Poya Day, at a time when King Devanampiyatissa was ruling Sri Lanka. The two countries are linked by culture, language, sports (cricket), music, dance and even food.
Crucial juncture
The President’s visit to India comes at a crucial juncture for Sri Lanka and India, both of which are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). India considers the IOR as being essential to maintain peace and harmony in the region under its SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy. India, though a key player in the QUAD military alliance that also brings together Japan, Australia and the US, has advocated for a peaceful IOR and an Indo-Pacific Region.
India generously extended its assistance to Sri Lanka to emerge relatively unscathed from the 2022 economic crisis. Sri Lanka is not completely out of the woods yet and India’s assistance and guidance will very much be necessary in the medium and long term to get rid of external debt and make the Sri Lankan economy stronger and self-reliant.
India played a major role in Sri Lanka getting a US$ 2.9 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well as in the debt restructuring process of bilateral donors and the Paris Club. Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was present at some IMF meetings to press Sri Lanka’s case.
Sri Lanka is in a geopolitically sensitive geographical and diplomatic position, as both regional powers India and China are vying for its attention. Sri Lanka indeed needs the support of both China and India as well as the West as it tries to find a solution to its economic woes.
Both China and India, have expressed concern whenever either one of them tried to take an upper hand in Sri Lankan political and other affairs. However, in line with the rest of the international community, they acknowledge that as a sovereign nation, Sri Lanka has the right to take certain decisions in its own interest. For example, India had certain reservations when China went ahead with the Port City project in Colombo, but now even some Indian companies have expressed willingness to invest there. There is, however, little doubt that China will keenly watch the developments unfolding in New Delhi vis-à-vis President Dissanayake’s visit.
Security interests
Every Sri Lankan Government has always reassured India that its security interests will be protected at all times by Colombo. In a way, this is inevitable as the two countries are so closely linked in every aspect – not just the physical proximity.
This visit by the high-powered delegation would be an extraordinary event and a new experience to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government. India is aware that the Western media has portrayed President Dissanayake as a Leftist who may be ideologically closer to China. To his credit, he has remained neutral as far as Sri Lanka’s foreign policy is concerned, despite such misgivings by foreign media.
Though the NPP and before that the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has experienced a long political trajectory to come this far, this is their maiden official exposure to a high capacity foreign visit. There is indeed a steep learning curve for the NPP when it comes to foreign relations, but President Dissanayake has shown that he is a skilled negotiator with a penchant for articulating even complex points in simple terms for a broad audience.
It is hoped that President Dissanayake’s visit will help expedite Indian-led development projects in Sri Lanka, including those in Port, Airport, Housing, Road and Renewable Energy sectors. India’s Adani Group, facing bribery allegations from the US, has opted not to apply for a US loan to finance a port development project in Colombo and instead self-finance it to the tune of more than US$ 500 million.
It is speculated that the President and his team are likely to discuss the grievances of the Tamil-speaking communities in the North and the East. This is especially so in the context of the huge mandate received by the NPP in the North, at the expense of traditional Tamil politicians and parties. This is the first time they voted en masse for a mainstream, secular political party based primarily in the South. This in itself is a major victory that India has taken cognizance of.
The converse is that the NPP will have to be more receptive to the needs and aspirations of the Tamil community, even more than other parties. The question of implementing the 13th Amendment in full is likely to come up during President Dissanayake’s wide-ranging discussions in New Delhi. This is already part of the Sri Lankan Constitution, since the days of the Indo-Lanka Accord of 1987. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa even went to the extent of promising “13A Plus” to a former Indian Prime Minister.
The other major issue that will come up during the talks is the longstanding fisheries issue. While fishermen from both sides cross into the other side, the biggest problem is the use of hundreds of trawlers by Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan waters where the catch is said to be bigger and better. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has exploited the issue politically, citing the cases of Indian fishermen apprehended by the Sri Lanka Navy and subsequently jailed in Sri Lanka. This very issue of Indian fishermen jailed in Sri Lanka is likely to figure in the talks, even though they are generally released after a few months, after confiscating their boats.
Providing housing facilities to the Indian Tamils in the Hill Country tea plantation is another project that is likely to be included in the talks. Around 50,000 houses are to be built under this aid scheme which is not done on a commercial basis.
Talaimannar on the Western coast of Sri Lanka, about 30 Km from India will get a wind power project initiated by India. This would provide power facilities to this area. There are several other Renewable Energy projects initiated by India that are likely to figure in the extensive talks. Talaimannar is also the proposed landing point on the Sri Lankan side of the proposed Indo-Lanka Land Bridge, though it is not yet known whether this would be part of the bilateral talks. There were also plans to link up the electricity grids of both countries, but it remains to be seen whether the NPP Government is receptive to this idea.
Economic crisis
Sri Lanka experienced acute problems in sourcing pharmaceutical products during the economic crisis and India was one of the countries that responded to our call to supply medicines on an expedited basis. There is a lot we can learn from India with regard to the manufacture of medicinal drugs. We must get Indian expertise in that sector and it is hoped that President Dissanayake would raise this issue with Indian political and industry leaders.
His meeting with the captains of industry and business in New Delhi will be keenly watched, again given the wrong perception about the economic policies of the NPP, which are private sector friendly in reality. Sri Lanka remains a viable destination for foreign investors, as it recovers from the economic crisis of 2022. India is already one of the biggest investors in Sri Lanka, if not the biggest, and this meeting will hopefully spur more Indian investors to take a chance on Sri Lanka.
The writer specialises on foreign policy and international affairs has a Master’s Degree from the Moscow University Institute of Foreign Languages and was the former News Editor of the Soviet Embassy Information Department in Colombo.
