It has taken a year for his first official trip to India. But Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be in India in an effort to make up for lost time. He will be in Delhi on July 20-21. On the agenda will be closer cooperation between the two neighbours and on “enhanced connectivity’’.
The visit comes at a time when Sri Lanka is beginning to show signs of recovery. The country—which had been plunged into an economic crisis over the past year—has received a bailout of 2.9 billion dollars from the IMF in March spread over four years. But difficult decisions will need to be made. And Wickremesinghe is in the hot seat to make it happen.
“Sri Lanka is an important partner in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Vision SAGAR. The visit will reinforce the longstanding friendship between the two countries and explore avenues for enhanced connectivity and mutual beneficial cooperation across sectors,’’ a read out by the ministry of external affairs said.
Wickremesinghe who has taken over after Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted, has the hard task of reviving the economy on the brink of a collapse. India emerged as a good neighbour during the economic crisis. A bail out with line of credit and financial assistance worth 4 billion dollars has been extended. It is no secret that India did reach out to the IMF—to buttress the Sri Lankan case—so that the bail out could be secured.
On the cards of the visit will be discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a meeting with President Draupadi Murmu. But it will be a whirlwind visit. According to the Sunday Times, the President will be in India only for 27 hours. While the President has been considered pro-India—and pushed for closer economic ties—the intentions could not be realised. The distrust between him and Prime Minister Maithripala Sirisena ensured his tilt towards India could not be converted into any concrete gains. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, so far has not been signed.
Sri Lanka will certainly be hoping to attract investments. And there may be a few on the anvil. There are talks of an oil pipeline connecting Nagapattinam, Trincomalee and Colombo. The two countries are also looking to have more air connectivity too.
But the shadow of the dragon remains. The Hambantota Port has been leased to China for 99 years to settle the debts. The docking Yaun Wong5, which was referred to by China as a “scientific research vessel’’ and viewed in India a “surveillance’’ ship in August has certainly ruffled feathers in South Block. Especially, as the incident took place soon after India has chosen to help Sri Lanka financially. There has been an attempt by Sri Lanka to assuage India’s fears, too. With a “standard operating procedure’’ for future calls on military research vessels and craft.
