India and Sri Lanka have a lot to learn from each other, says envoy Milinda Moragoda
The Hindu
I hope we can build strategic projects in ports, oil and gas etc., says Sri Lankan High Commissioner
After several months of strain in India-Sri Lanka ties, and the COVID lockdown, the visit by Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla to Colombo on Saturday is being seen as an effort to reset ties. In an exclusive interview, Sri Lankan High Commissioner says the visit will see a full review of bilateral projects and proposals in the area of ports, oil, energy and digital technology.
Our relationship is civilisational, that dates from Buddha and Rama and our relationship is defined by those two aspects. In the context of the trust deficits, I think from time to time, these things happen. Just like in the 1980s, there was a perception that Sri Lanka was close to the U.S. and now the perception is that we are there with China. Our PM Mahinda Rajapaksa says that India and Sri Lanka are like brothers and sisters, and therefore, there can be misunderstandings, there can be wrong perceptions. But those are things we discuss with each other, and as long as we don't always look at every little episode as a huge issue, we can resolve these [perceptions].
I don’t think it has damaged… I mean, the basic reality is we are a democracy and we are a South Asian democracy… if it was a dictatorship, the ECT could have been given by simply issuing an order, but as there was resistance to that particular terminal being handed over, the government offered another Terminal, the West Coast Terminal, for which the agreement was signed yesterday by the Adani group. And from a commercial point of view, we expect a doubling of our capacity in Colombo harbour, between the two ports in the next five years or so, most of which — about 80% — is trans-shipment to India.
With the clock ticking down to the Lok Sabha election counting day on Tuesday, opposing fronts are perceptibly edgy and poised to continue the rancorous skirmishing that marked the campaign season in Kerala. The United Democratic Front, led by the Congress, is seemingly basking in the “interim victory” granted by various exit polls. The UDF discerns that its poll strategy of turning the polls foremostly into a damning referendum on the Left Democratic Front government’s perceived failures rather than BJP’s “divisive politics” at the national level stood a fighting chance of paying off.