India-Sri Lanka Relations

 

 

 

India-Sri
Lanka Relations

 

“As
the largest country in South Asia, India has the responsibility to do more to
incentivise cooperation in the neighbourhood. We don’t need it to always be
reciprocal.”

                                                                                                       
 S. Jaishankar (EAM)

 

Context:

Sri
Lanka is located strategically in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and
is India’s closest maritime neighbour. India has deep historical, intellectual,
cultural, religious, and linguistic exchange with this island nation from
ancient period.

Recently, India-Sri-Lanka close political
contacts, expanding commerce and investment, cooperation in the areas of
development, education, culture, and defence, as well as a deep understanding
of the most important global concerns. The connection between India and Sri
Lanka has become stronger as a result of the two countries’ improved
cooperation on projects to assist internally displaced people (IDPs) in
developing their communities.

India is recently
assisting Sri-Lanka in its Economic Crisis:

Greater
respect for India has been shown in Sri Lanka as a result of India’s unwavering
and humble decision to provide desperately needed food, gasoline, and medicines
whenever Colombo requested urgent aid from New Delhi in the face of the
unprecedented economic crisis.

• India
  will be close watching the developments of bilateral relations and multilateral
  assistance to address Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.

Adani Group port operator
in Sri Lanka:

Adani
Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) received a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the
development and operations of West Container Terminal (WCT) in Colombo,
Sri Lanka.

• A
  terminal operated by APSEZ in India is where roughly 45% of Colombo’s
  trans-shipment volumes originate from or are destined.
• The
  Adani Group will become the country’s first Indian port operator in Sri
  Lanka.
• The
  group will have the majority stake in the West Container International Terminal
  Joint Venture (JV).
• The
  build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement, which has a 35-year termination
  date.
• In
  the history of Sri Lanka’s port, it represents the “biggest”
  foreign investment.

 

India – Sri Lanka Science
& Technology (S&T) Cooperation (2022):

To
focus on new areas like waste-water technologies, biotech, sustainable
agriculture, aerospace engineering, robotics, big data analytics, and
artificial intelligence, as well as industrial collaborations.

• India
  offers fellowships like India S&T fellowship, e-ITEC.
• S&T
  is a key enabler of socio-economic and sustainable development agenda of 2030.

 

Various Dimensions of
India–Sri-Lanka Relationship:

Historical Relations:

• It
  was during the Ramayana period when Sri Lanka was first mentioned. With
  the help of Hanuman, Ram was able to free Sita from Ravana’s captivity in
  Lanka.
• According
  to the Ramayana, between the 7th BCE to 3rd centuries CE, Lord Ram
  built the Ram Setu bridge with the help of an army of Vanaras
  (monkeys), under the command of Lord Hanuman, in order to reach Lanka. It
  is also known as Adam’s Bridge.
• India
  has ancient links with Sri Lanka since the advent of Buddhism.
  Buddhism as a movement spread over Sri Lanka some 2300 years ago.
• Sri
  Lanka has historically been invaded by the Indian dynasties of Chola
  and Pallava.
• Although
  ruled separately, the local people of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) were colonised by
  the British but did not become a part of the British India Empire.
• British
  companies began sending indentured labour from India, particularly Tamil
  Nadu, to Ceylon starting in the 1830s. The Tamils that the British carried
  settled down in the northern region of Ceylon.
• India
  became independent in 1947 while Ceylon in 1948.

 

Political Relations:

• Political
  relations between India and Sri-Lanka have been marked by high-level
  exchanges of visits at regular intervals.
• A
  USD 15 million grant from India for promotion of bilateral Buddhist
  ties and an inaugural international flight carrying Sri Lankan pilgrims to
  the sacred city of Kushinagar, after Kushingar’s recent designation as
  international airport, were announced at the Virtual Bilateral Summit (VBS). It
  issued under ‘MitratvaMaga’.
• Indian
  National Security Advisor (NSA)
  visited Sri Lanka in November 2020 to attend the fourth maritime dialogue under
  the ‘India- Sri Lanka-Maldives’ trilateral mechanism.
• Sri-Lanka
  occupies in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and its S.A.G.A.R
  (Security and Growth for all in the Region) doctrine.
• Sri
  Lanka is a member of regional organisations such as BIMSTEC (Bay of
  Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) and SAARC,
  where India holds a leading place.
• Both
  countries also cooperate in the Commonwealth Heads of Government
  Meeting.

Commercial Relations:

• In
  1998, a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was signed between India and Sri
  Lanka, facilitating stronger trade ties between the two nations.
• After
  the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) went into effect in
  March 2000, trade between the two nations increased very fast.
• India’s
  second largest trading partner in South Asian Association of Regional
  Cooperation (SAARC) is Sri Lanka.
• Direct
  investment from
  India has always prioritised Sri Lanka as a destination. With total
  investments in Sri Lanka over US$ 1 billion since 2003, India is one of the top
  four foreign investors.
• The
  planned Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) between
  India and Sri-Lanka will promote investment, trade in services, and cooperative
  technology. With the signing of ETCA, Indian investment will flow into Sri
  Lanka, integrating the island’s production facilities into the Indian and
  global value chains.
• The
  Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which the two
  nations have not yet signed, aims to build on the momentum created by the Free
  Trade Agreement (FTA) and move the two economies beyond trade in goods to
  greater integration as well as give renewed momentum and synergy to bilateral
  economic interaction.
• Sri
  Lanka receives the most tourists from India. One of the top ten sources of
  tourists for the Indian tourism market is Sri Lanka.

 

Cultural and Educational
Relations:

• From
  the reign of the Great Indian Emperor Ashoka, Buddhism has been
  one of the most powerful pillars uniting the two nations and civilizations.
• Prime
  Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 26 September, 2020, announced a USD 15 million
  grant assistance for protection and promotion of Buddhist ties between
  India and Sri Lanka.
• By
  providing workshops in Hindi, Yoga, Indian music, and dance, the Indian
  Cultural Centre in Colombo actively raises awareness of Indian culture.
  Cultural groups from both nations visit each other on an annual basis.
• People
  of Indian Origin (PIOs),
  who have settled in Sri Lanka and are involved in a variety of business
  endeavours, include Sindhis, Gujaratis, Memons, Parsis, Malayalis, and
  Telugu-speaking individuals.
• The
  Cultural Cooperation Agreement has been signed between India and
  Sri-Lanka.
• In
  mid-2021, special prayers across Sri Lanka for the well-being of people
  of India in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic e.g., Organized Vishwa
  Ashirwada Horawa, Prayer in Catholic churches in Jaffna.
• Hashtags,
  such as ‘thinkingofindia’, ‘PrayForIndia’, are trending on social
  media in Sri Lanka.
• Education
  is another
  important area of cooperation between India and Sri Lanka. India offers
  scholarship slots annually to deserving Sri Lankan students.
• India
  might be used to build or renovate Buddhist monasteries, educate young monks,
  increase the involvement of Buddhist scholars and clergy.

 

Defence & Security
Cooperation:

• India,
  Sri Lanka, and the Maldives signed a trilateral maritime security
  cooperation agreement to enhance surveillance, anti-piracy operations, and
  reduce maritime pollution in the Indian Ocean region.
• A
  trilateral coast guard exercise including the Maldives is the third joint
  exercise, known as “Dosti.”
• Colombo
  and New Delhi have long history of security cooperation. In recent years, the
  two sides have steadily increased their military-to-military relationship. 
• India
  and Sri Lanka conduct joint Military (‘Mitra Shakti’) and Naval
  exercise (SLINEX).
• The
  Sri Lankan force is also trained by India in defence.
• India
  and Sri Lanka also reached an agreement in April 2019 to combat human and
  drug trafficking.
• The
  Sri Lankan Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Indian government for all
  of the provided “assistance” after the tragic Easter bombings.
• The
  civilian nuclear cooperation component is the most important because it
  calls for “exchanging knowledge and skills, sharing resources, building
  capacity, and educating workers in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.”

Strategic Importance:

• In
  the broadest sense, Sri Lanka, which is located at the southernmost point of
  peninsular India, is strategically significant for India.
• Britain
  constructed a major
  naval base at Trincomolee on the island’s eastern coast after realising the
  strategic importance of Sri Lanka for the security of British India and
  the Indian Ocean.
• This
  island nation is situated between the main shipping lanes connecting
  Europe with East Asia and the oil tanker routes connecting the Gulf oil
  producing nations with China, Japan, and other Pacific nations.
• India
  also places a strategic value on Sri Lanka in terms of her Indian Ocean
  strategy and her efforts to network with partners in order to achieve her goals
  of forming an Indian Ocean Rim Community.
• As
  naval ships must pass through Sri Lanka while switching from the Bay of Bengal
  to the Arabian Sea and vice versa, it is essential for the Indian Navy.
• Deepwater
  ports with the
  capacity to accommodate large vessels.

 

Issues & Conflict
Between India-Sri Lanka:

China Factor–Strategic
Issues:

• China
  has recently provided the Sri Lankan government with billions of dollars in
  loans for new infrastructure projects, which is bad for India’s
  strategic depth in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).
• China
  received a 99-year lease from Sri Lanka for the important port of Hambantota.
  Although Chinese seized control of the port by portraying themselves as
  commerce, India’s security establishment was concerned that China would use
  the Hambantota port for military operations.
• China
  has also been supplying arms and provide huge loans to Sri-Lanka for its
  development.
• Sri
  Lanka reportedly began favouring China over India during the period of
  low-profile relations between the two countries.
• In
  line with its Maritime Silk Route (MSR) policy, China constructed two
  ports: one in Colombo and another in Hambantota.
• With
  Supreme SAT (Pvt.), the sole satellite operator in Sri Lanka, China has
  also worked together on satellite launch projects.

 

Fishermen Issues:

• Since
  ancient times, Indian boats have been fishing in the turbulent Palk
  Strait and Gulf of Mannar.
• In
  1974 and 1976 treaties were signed between the India-Sri Lanka to
  demarcate International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
• However,
  the treaties neglected to take into account the misery of thousands of
  traditional fishermen who were forced to restrict their fishing forays to a
  small area.
• They
  used the small islet of Katchatheevu to sort their catch and dry their
  nets, and it was on the other side of the IMBL.
• Fishermen
  frequently take the risk of crossing the IMBL rather than return home
  empty-handed.
• The
  high alert, however Fishermen who had crossed the border had their fishing nets
  and vessels destroyed or arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

 

Indian intervention in
the Sri-Lankan Civil War:

• The
  two largest ethnic groups in Sri Lanka are the Tamils and the
  Sinhalese. Since before independence, the Sinhalese and Tamils have been
  engaged in a continuous tussle.
• The
  Sri Lankan government and the separatist rebel force known as the Tigers of
  Tamil Eelam fought each other in this civil war from the 1970s to the
  1980s.
• In
  1987, India’s Tamil people was the target of growing resentment.
• India
  had no choice but to intervene in the Sri Lankan civil war since it endangered
  India’s territorial integrity, national security, and unity.
• In
  order to carry out a peacekeeping mission, India also sent its Indian
  Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to Sri Lanka (It is known as Operation Pawan,
  which ultimately resulted in the assassination of PM Rajiv Gandhi).
• India
  subsequently designated the LTTE as a terrorist organisation in 1992.
  India supported the peace effort when bilateral relations improved in the
  1990s, but it has rejected requests to get engaged again.
• On
  May 19, 2009,
  President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave a victory speech to the Sri Lankan Parliament,
  declaring that “Sri Lanka is liberated from terrorism.” This marked
  the official ending of the conflict.

 

Other Issues:

• The
  joint venture with India to manage the Mattala Rajapaksa International
  Airport has not progressed as planned. The China-run Hambantota port is not
  far from Mattala Airport.
• The
  Sampur Thermal Power Station Project, which is located in Sri Lanka’s
  Eastern Province, was meant to be undertaken by Indian Public Sector
  Undertaking National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The project was cancelled
  because of environmental problems.
• President
  Sirisena said that Indian intelligence services were preparing an
  assassination plot against him in October 2018.

 

Practical Suggestions:

• There
  is potential for strengthening and deepening the ties because India-Sri
  Lanka are democratically governed.
• Sri
  Lanka should continue the reconciliation process in the meantime to realise the
  aspirations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace, and
  respect.
• Colombo
  and New Delhi will work closely together in the area of counterterrorism,
  which needs for significant intelligence exchange.
• It
  is necessary to sign the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
  for the economic cooperation between the two nations to improve.
• India
  has a great advantage over China when it comes to bilateral relations
  with Sri Lanka because of their strong civilizational and cultural links.
• Nearly
  95,000 refugees who live in Tamil Nadu should be encouraged to return to
  Sri Lanka voluntarily, and New Delhi should attempt again to make this happen.

The
two neighbours’ relationships in IOR appear to be improving despite some
outstanding concerns. After the FTA went into effect in 2000, trade between the
two countries increased quickly. It is possible to hope that in the near
future, with better ties on the horizon, the ethnic and fishermen’s issues will
also be handled. India views the Palk Bay region as a shared history between
the two nations, and Sri Lanka has promised not to allow anyone to use Sri
Lankan soil against India.

                                                                                                
By Anil Kumar Mishra

References:

PIB,
The Hindu, Ministry of External Affairs, Consulate General of India…