Sri Lanka on Monday heaped praises at India, with the island country’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry affirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to safeguard its neighboring nation, India’s national security. Hinting at New Delhi’s safety concerns due to Chinese vessels in Sri Lankan waters, Sabry highlighted that as a responsible neighbor, Colombo will never allow any nation to harm New Delhi’s security.
Notably, addressing India’s imminent issues regarding frequent visits made by Chinese research vessels to the island nation, EAM Jaishankar in a joint press conference with Thailand, last year, maintained that any activity in the neighborhood countries that has a bearing on India’s security, “obviously is in the country’s national interests”.
India has several times raised concerns about Chinese vessels in Sri Lankan waters amid speculation that they are being used to track Indian military tests and for surveying strategically important waters for India. In July last year, PM Narendra Modi had urged Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to respect India’s strategic and security concerns, after which the island nation even imposed a one-year ban on Chinese research vessels in the Exclusive Economic Zone.
Addressing the same concern, FM Sabry stated that though his country desires to partner with other nations around the world, it would ensure that it would not be done at the cost of the security of India. He reiterated that as a responsible neighbor and a civilizational partner, Sri Lanka will not undertake anything that would harm the legitimate security concerns of India.
Significantly, over the past few years, President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s administration has been increasingly engaging with India in an effort to counter China’s formidable presence across the island nation. An independent foreign policy think tank, Red Lantern Analytica, believes that China employed its devious ‘Debt Trap Diplomacy’ in recent years to gain a strategic edge over Sri Lanka, after which India came to its rescue, offering $2.4 billion through currency swaps, loan deferrals, and other credit lines under its neighborhood first policy.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka on Monday expressed its keenness to join the BRICS groups, asserting that ever since India became a part of the group, it has become a ‘good body’. He emphasized that Sri Lanka would reach out to India first whenever it formally applies to join the BRICS grouping. BYTE: video 12: start to 0.27 Ali Sabry, Sri Lanka EAM Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister further praised the “excellent relationship with New Delhi, highlighting that India’s significant economic growth has positively impacted the entire region, including Sri Lanka.
Talking about the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in India, the Minister stated that the country is celebrating the biggest festival of democracy, adding that the island nation wishes that there is a peaceful conclusion to the polls. He further underscored Sri Lanka’s commitment to continue to work closely with New Delhi irrespective of any poll outcome.
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