Modi mojo on Maithri!

Tuesday, 17 February 2015 00:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In landmark deal Sri Lanka, India agree to expand cooperation in civil nuclear energy, defence, infrastructure, agriculture, trade and investment

Sri Lanka and its closet neighbour India have agreed to expand cooperation in a number of sectors including defence, energy, trade, investment, agriculture and healthcare. The two sides agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation between them when Sri Lanka’s new President Maithripala Sirisena met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday in New Delhi. President Sirisena, who arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, is on his first official overseas visit since assuming the top post after last month’s presidential election.

Welcoming President Sirisena, Prime Minister Modi said India is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and friend and the goodwill and support of the people of India will always be with Sri Lanka. He said the President Sirisena’s mandate carries the collective voice of Sri Lanka and it represents the aspirations of the Sri Lankan people for a united, peaceful and prosperous nation, in which all citizens enjoy a life of opportunity and dignity. In a statement released to media after his meeting with President Sirisena, the PM said he had excellent discussions today with President Sirisena on bilateral relations and international issues and they are “committed to unlock the vast potential of our economic cooperation.” Acknowledging that India, Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner, enjoys a huge trade surplus, the PM said he supported a more balanced growth in trade in both directions. “I conveyed our readiness to promote a greater flow of Indian investments and tourists into Sri Lanka. We discussed expansion of cooperation in energy sector, both conventional and renewable. Our Commerce Secretaries will meet soon to review our bilateral commercial relations,” Prime Minister Modi said. The two sides also intend to further improve air and sea connectivity between them he said, adding that the bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation is yet another “demonstration of our mutual trust.” This is the first such agreement Sri Lanka has signed and it opens new avenues for cooperation, including in areas such as agriculture and healthcare. The Sri Lankan President and the PM have also agreed to expand defence and security cooperation. “We welcomed the progress in our maritime security cooperation, including in the trilateral format with Maldives,” Modi said. The PM noted that the Indian assisted projects for Internally Displaced Persons in Sri Lanka had made excellent progress. “This includes the Housing Project, under which more than 27,000 houses have already been constructed. The President and I express satisfaction with the progress.” The Prime Minister assured President Sirisena of India’s commitment to its development partnership with Sri Lanka. This will continue to cover a broad range of areas, including infrastructure. In this context, I am also pleased with the MoU on cooperation in agriculture, he added. They also agreed on encouraging the fishermen`s associations on both sides to meet again soon and find a solution that could be taken forward by both governments. The two sides also signed an agreement on a Programme of Cultural Cooperation that “will nurture those ties and promote contact between people.” The Prime Minister reiterated that he had accepted an invitation to visit Sri Lanka and looked forward to the trip in March. - Pic by Sudath Silva