New Delhi, Dec 16 (UNI) Visiting Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that Sri Lanka will never allow its territory to be used in a way that threatens the security of India and the stability of the region, during his talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here today.
In his first bilateral visit to India after taking over his post in September, President Dissanayake thanked India for the aid provided and reassured India of Sri Lanka’s commitment to safeguard Indian interests. “I have also given an assurance to the Prime Minister of India that we will not allow our land to be used in any way in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India. The cooperation with India will certainly flourish and I want to reassure our continued support for India,“ he said in his media statement.
In a post on X after his talks with PM Modi, the Sri Lankan President posted:
“It is a privilege to visit India on my first overseas trip as President and I am grateful to PM @narendramodi for supporting Sri Lanka during the economic crisis and for aiding debt restructuring.
“We discussed trade, defence, energy, BRICS, UNCLCS, and stopping illegal fishing during our meeting today. I invited PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka and assured India that Sri Lanka’s territory would not be used against India’s security interests.”
During the talks, the Sri Lankan president broached the contentious issue of Indian fishermen using bottom trawlers and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.
“We want to find a durable and sustainable solution to the fishermen’s issue that has become a plague for both our countries. There are bottom trawling systems being adopted by the fishermen in that area and that needs to be put an end to because that will spell doom to this industry,” he said in his media statement.
Recalling India’s help during the financial crisis, Dissanayake said, “We faced an unprecedented economic crisis some two years ago and India supported us immensely to come out of that quagmire. It has also helped us immensely after that, especially in the debt-free structuring process. I know that Sri Lanka secures a very significant place in the foreign policy of India. PM Modi assured us full support and he also assured us that he will always protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.”
Following the talks, the two sides signed some outcomes.
Financial assistance scheme to 100 new students each annually from University of Jaffna and Eastern University until the end of academic courses of the beneficiaries; Grant assistance of USD 14.9 million for the signaling project in Maho-Anuradhapura section; Protocol Amending the Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Government of India for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income; and MoU between National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Government of India and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) on Training and Capacity Building Programme for Civil Servants of Sri Lanka.
