NEW DELHI: Nearly 20 months after Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Austin Fernando completed his term and returned to Colombo, his successor is expected to take charge later this month. Milinda Moragoda, a former Cabinet minister, knows he has to hit the ground running. Especially when relationship between the two countries has been strained of late and Sri Lanka is seeking a reset in bilateral ties that have been marred by “growing trust deficit”.
Moragoda, who has sent a ‘road map’ to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on how Sri Lankan diplomatic missions in India need to go about their job in the next couple of years, says the overarching goal should be to elevate the partnership to the level of a special relationship and to foster greater people-to-people contacts.
“In recent years, the Indo-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship has been increasingly dominated by a transactional approach. This is a consequence of the changes in the geopolitical equilibrium in the region that have resulted in a growing trust deficit. Although this development might, at times, be perceived as a setback, this transactional aspect can be channelled towards building confidence and, utilized as a means to bridge the trust deficit,” says the document prepared by Sri Lankan missions in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai under the supervision of Moragoda.
There’s no explicit mention of the geopolitical changes but increased Chinese presence and influence in Sri Lanka can be construed as one. In May, Sri Lanka passed the controversial Bill on the China-backed Colombo Port City that Opposition parties say impinges on the island nation’s sovereignty. Before that, India had publicly announced its concerns over the Sri Lankan government reneging on its promise of developing the East Container Terminal in Colombo Port, and instead granting India the rights to develop the West Container Terminal.
India and Sri Lanka have sought to collaborate on a series of major economic development projects in Sri Lanka, including the West Container Terminal of the Colombo Port, the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm, projects of cooperation in the power sector, Indian projects that fall under development cooperation and lines of credit, as well as financial cooperation. While these economic development projects are important to foster relations, there is also a need to transcend this transactional approach, the document says. It outlines seven goals, leaving scope for fine-tuning during the implementation phase.
Increase Political Interactions
Regular high level political visits have been suggested to develop mutual trust. This includes at least one visit by the Head of State/Head of Government from either side each year and also at the foreign minister level. Coordination with India at multilateral and regional fora has also been emphasized to strengthen bilateral relations. Promoting exchanges between influential parliamentarians of both countries, cutting across party lines, can provide the needed impetus. Interactions shouldn’t just be limited to the central level. Increasing Sri Lanka’s footprint in Indian states would be an important measure, argues Moragoda. Sri Lankan diplomats in India need to interact with chief ministers of Indian states, invite them to visit Sri Lanka and also arrange visits of Sri Lankan political dignitaries to these states. Establishing a Consulate General in Kolkata, which is to function from 2022, would be an important step in this regard.
Bolster Foreign Investments, Exports
India ranks among the top five investors in Sri Lanka and the latter wants to increase Indian investments further. To that end, the formation of an Inter-Agency Committee on Trade, Investment and Tourism has been suggested to tap both large-scale conglomerates and individual high net-worth investors. While the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka has set out an Indian investment target of US $300 million for this year, the Sri Lankan missions have pegged the figure at US $256.1 million for the next year across several sectors such as auto parts, electric and electronic goods, hospitality industry, IT services, infrastructure, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, textiles and renewable energy.
Increasing protectionism, limited market access, a challenging and unpredictable regulatory environment as well as the ‘Make in India’ Initiative have been spelt out as factors affecting Sri Lankan exports to India. Nevertheless, the Export Development Board has set an export target of US $621.9 million for this year. The Sri Lankan missions in India have proposed US $674.17 million for the next year. Items that could be exported include spices, processed food, processed meat and fish, confectionery and beverages, coconut and related products, tiles and kitchenware, electrical conductors, switch boards and panels, various kinds of tea and apparel.
Given the size of the Indian travel market and the interest of Indian tourists to visit Sri Lanka, the island nation wants to aggressively tap into potential opportunities by promoting sectors such as MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions), weddings, films, the Ramayana Trail, etc. It’s suggested that Sri Lanka participate in leading international travel and tourism fairs in India, also at state levels. The Sri Lankan Tourism Promotion Bureau has set a target of nearly 1.7 lakh Indian tourist arrivals next year.
Expand Collaboration In Strategic Cooperation, Defence
The document emphasizes the need for working towards mechanisms that enhance political-level strategic cooperation in defence and security. Seeking useful ways to utilize the special Line of Credit of US $50 million for counter-terrorism activities announced by India in 2019 is important, more so as more Lines of Credit in the defence sector are in the pipeline. Sri Lanka’s participation in four bilateral and multilateral military exercises every year should be facilitated. Full utilization of all training berths offered by India is imperative as well as offering training opportunities to Indian personnel in Sri Lankan military establishments, the document says.
Enhance Cooperation In Culture, Education, Science & Technology
Promoting Sri Lankan culture in India is essential for fostering bilateral relations and enhancing people-to-people contacts. To facilitate this, establishment of a Sri Lankan Cultural Centre in India has been proposed. Furthering Buddhist ties with India has been advocated by reaching out to the larger Buddhist community in India. Apart from the tourist or pilgrimage aspects of the Buddhist circuit, the Ramayana, the Murugan and the Shiva Shakthi trails as well as the Vailankanni trail could be utilized to foster exchanges at the level of religious leaders and scholars. Attempts should be made to increase the number of scholarships provided to Sri Lankan students by India’s External Affairs ministry. Private universities of repute in India can be approached to secure scholarships or fee concessions for Sri Lankan students. There’s need to enhance cooperation with India on biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, IT, engineering etc., according to the strategy paper.
Public Diplomacy Initiatives
Cultural initiatives apart, public diplomacy can enhance Sri Lanka’s image in India and strengthen people-to-people contacts, argues Moragoda. Continuous engagement with the Indian media and influential foreign journalists based in New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai would help create a more positive image of Sri Lanka and tackle any disinformation campaigns, he says. Sri Lankan diplomats must try to build contacts in prominent think tanks and in the academia, with focus on establishing contacts with emerging, young Indian influencers. With a view to promoting goodwill, it is important to build networks between think tanks, scholars, archaeologists, journalists, writers, filmmakers etc. of the two countries. Avenues for establishing Sri Lanka and India Chairs at universities in New Delhi and Colombo should be explored. Posting at least one Facebook post and a Tweet containing promotional content on Sri Lanka daily has been identified as a key task.
Enhance Connectivity
Increasing connectivity between the two countries is a vital aspect in the bilateral relationship and is critical in enhancing people-to-people contacts. New Indian destinations for Sri Lankan airlines need to be identified besides operationalizing already identified destinations such as Ahmedabad. Boosting sea connectivity can build more public contacts between south India and Sri Lanka. To this effect, passenger ferry services on the Thalaimannar-Rameswaram, Colombo-Tuticorin and Kankesanthurai-Karaikal routes should be resumed/established, the document says. Also, projects that create digital connectivity between the two countries need to be facilitated.
Protect Marine Resources
Sri Lanka and India being maritime neighbours gives rise to both challenges and opportunities, says Moragoda. It is imperative to seek sustainable and long-lasting solutions for these challenges, while also using the opportunities presented by the proximity of the two countries. There’s a need to engage with Indian authorities (central government, relevant state governments and other stakeholders) for a mechanism acceptable to all sides for the resolution of fisheries-related issues. Moragoda suggests that the Sri Lankan government draw up a proposal incorporating these issues while proposing a humane approach to genuine issues faced by fishermen on both sides of the maritime boundary. The document also calls for promote joint research in fisheries and other marine and mineral resources and setting up a marine disaster training centre with Indian expertise.
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