Sri Lanka Looks To Bolster Defence Ties With India Amid China Threat

Sep 06, 2021

The paper is calling for significantly enhanced cooperation with frequent joint-military exercises and high-level military exchanges, utilisation of India’s $50 million counter-terrorism line of credit, and resolution of the issue of displaced persons (Sri Lankan Tamils) residing in Tamil Nadu.

With an integrated country strategy paper drafted under Sri Lanka’s new high commissioner Milinda Moragoda, the Island nation is looking to bolster defence and security ties with Indiaamid growing concerns of China’s footprint in the region.

The paper is calling for significantly enhanced cooperation with frequent joint-military exercises and highlevel military exchanges, utilisation of India’s $50 million counterterrorism line of credit, and resolution of the issue of displaced persons (Sri Lankan Tamils) residing in Tamil Nadu.

While Moragoda was named last year, the office of the Lankan high commissioner had remained vacant since January 2020, with him now assuming official duty.

Sri Lanka’s decision to unilaterally banish India and Japan from the Colombo port’s East Container Terminal project that the three countries had agreed to jointly develop in a tripartite agreement led to turbulence in bilateral ties during this period. This forced India to publicly remind Sri Lanka of the need to adhere to international commitments.

The Rajapaksa family’s apparent proximity to China further fuelled the ‘trust deficit’ in recent times. Moragoda is seeking to address this through the strategy proposal before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The proposal outlining key tasks for the Sri Lankan missions in India seeks to enhance partnership to a strategic level in defence and Indian Ocean maritime security to safeguard Sri Lanka’s interests.

Securing and fully utilising all training berths offered by India’s defence ministry and seeking new training opportunities with Indian paramilitary forces and police are among the key implementation tasks.

The paper calls for transcending the transactional approach that has dominated the bilateral relationship, and tackle the growing trust deficit in the geopolitical equilibrium.

Courtesy: TOI