India Sri Lankan Take up Regional Security Issues

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met PM Modi during his first foreign visit after assuming office. 

Key Outcomes of the Meeting

• Strategic and Defence Cooperation: Sri Lanka assured India that its territory would not be used for activities inimical to India’s interests, ensuring regional stability.
  • This assurance reflects Sri Lanka’s balancing act amid China’s growing presence in the region.
• Capacity Building: India will provide focused training for 1,500 Sri Lankan civil servants over the next five years.
  • There will be collaboration on capacity building through knowledge-sharing platforms like India’s Aadhaar, PM Gati Shakti, and DigiLocker.
• Energy Development: The leaders agreed to take steps towards the implementation of the solar power project in Sampur.
  • Cooperation amongst India, Sri Lanka and UAE to implement a multi-product pipeline from India to Sri Lanka for supply of affordable and reliable energy.
• People-Centric Digitization: Agreement to fast-track the implementation of the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity (SLUDI) project, modeled after India’s Aadhaar.
  • Collaboration to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in Sri Lanka to improve government service delivery and digital transactions.

India and Sri Lanka Relations

• Trade Relations: India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA) in 2000 contributed significantly towards the expansion of trade between the two countries.
  • India has traditionally been among Sri Lanka’s largest trade partners and Sri Lanka remains among the largest trade partners of India in the SAARC.
  • India is also one of the largest contributors to Foreign Direct Investment in Sri Lanka. 
• Cultural relations: The Cultural Cooperation Agreement signed in 1977 forms the basis for periodic Cultural Exchange Programmes between the two countries.
• Tourism: India has traditionally been Sri Lanka’s top inbound tourism market, followed by China.
  • As per latest data from the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, India is the largest source for tourists in 2023.
• Maritime Security and Defence Cooperation: In 2011, a decision was taken to establish the Colombo Security Conclave which aims to further promote maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
  • India and Sri Lanka conduct a joint Military exercise named  ‘Mitra Shakti’, Trilateral Maritime Exercise “Dosti”, and a Naval exercise named SLINEX.  
• Connectivity Projects: Recently, the two sides adopted a vision document to enhance maritime, energy and people to people connectivity.
  • There are plans to develop ports and logistics infrastructure at Colombo, Trincomalee, and Kankesanthurai to consolidate regional logistics and shipping.
  • There are plans to develop a land bridge to provide India land access to the ports of Trincomalee and Colombo.
• Multilateral Forum Collaboration: India and Sri Lanka are member nations of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme, South Asian Economic Union and BIMSTEC, working to enhance cultural and commercial ties.

Areas of Concern

• The Fishermen Issue: Sri Lanka’s proximity to Indian territorial waters has often blurred the line for fishermen on both sides in pursuit of fish stock.
• Indian Ocean Geopolitics: In recent years, subtle geo-political and strategic competition in the IOR between the US, China and India has been recognised by Sri Lanka as a possible threat to its security interest in the region.
• Rise of China: China’s increasing strategic investments in vital maritime ports in the IOR  has been an area of concern.
• The fear of Indian dominance over the territory of Sri Lanka among the Sri Lankans has been a reality since its independence.

Way Ahead

• India’s proactive engagement with Sri Lanka highlights its role as a reliable partner in ensuring regional security and economic stability. 
• The reaffirmed assurance from Sri Lanka to safeguard India’s security interests is a crucial step in countering external influences in the Indian Ocean Region.

Source: TH