India-Sri Lanka Relations

India-Sri Lanka Relations

Syllabus: India and its Neighborhood- Relations(GS 2)
Source: The Hindu,19/10/2023

Application: where to apply?
When asked about
– India-Sri Lanka Relations
– China’s growing presence in Indian Ocean Region
– Debt trap diplomacy of China

Context: Commencement of a passenger ferry service between Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province and Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu.

Content

  • India and Sri Lanka have a long history of cultural, religious, and linguistic ties that date back to more than 2500 years.
  • India and Sri Lanka are both members of the Commonwealth of Nations, the SAARC, the BIMSTEC, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
  • India and Sri Lanka have cooperated in various fields such as infrastructure development, education, health, agriculture, energy, science and technology, defence, and security.
  • India and Sri Lanka have signed several agreements to enhance their cooperation in various areas such as civil nuclear energy, maritime security, fisheries, tourism, cultural exchange, and connectivity.

Geopolitical Significance of Sri Lanka:

  • Sri Lanka is a nation of geopolitical importance due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean Region.
  • Sri Lanka’s location gives it a critical role in ensuring the security and stability of the Indian Ocean region
  • Sri Lanka’s location makes it important for India’s Indian Ocean strategy and for networking with partners for its aim of establishing an Indian Ocean Rim Association.
  • China has increased its presence and influence in Sri Lanka through massive investments in infrastructure projects, such as several ports in Sri Lanka, such as Hambantota, Colombo, and Trincomalee, as a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
  • India views Sri Lanka as a key ally in countering China’s growing presence and influence in the region, as well as in protecting its own maritime interests and energy security.

Commercial Relations: 

  • The entry into force of the 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 was Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner with an overall bilateral merchandise trade of US$ 5.45 billion in 2021.
  • Merchandise trade between India and Sri Lanka stood at US$ 3.6 billion in 2020.
  • The significant increase in bilateral trade in 2021 as compared to 2020 reflects the deepening of the comprehensive commercial engagement between India and Sri Lanka.
  • India is also one of the largest contributors to Foreign Direct Investment in Sri Lanka.
  • According to the Central bank of Sri Lanka, the total FDI from India so far exceeds US$ 2.2 billion.
  • In 2021, India was the largest source of FDI which amounted to US$ 142 million.

Cultural Cooperation

  • India and Sri Lanka have a long and rich history of cultural cooperation that dates back to more than 2,500 years ago.
  • The two countries share a legacy of intellectual, religious, linguistic and artistic interaction that has shaped their identities and values.
  • Buddhism is the main connecting link between India and Sri Lanka on religious lines. Buddhism originated in India and spread to Sri Lanka through the missionary efforts of Emperor Ashoka.
  • The Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC) is an institution established by the High Commission of India in Colombo in 1998 to foster and enhance the cultural relations between India and Sri Lanka.
  • The SVCC organizes various events and activities to showcase the diversity and richness of Indian culture and to facilitate cultural exchange and dialogue between the people of both countries.

Defence Cooperation: 

  • The Mitra Shakti Exercise is a joint military drill between India and Sri Lanka that aims to enhance interoperability and mutual understanding between the two armies.
  • India and Sri Lanka conduct a joint Naval exercise called SLINEX (Sri Lanka India Naval Exercise)
  • The defence partnership between India and Sri Lanka is based on regular training programmes and interactions among the different branches of the armed forces.
  • Both countries share common interests in ensuring the security and stability of their maritime domain and cooperate on various issues related to it.

Fishermen Issue:

  • The fisherman issue between India and Sri Lanka is a long-standing and complex problem that involves the maritime boundary, the livelihood of fishermen, and the bilateral relations between the two countries.
  • The Palk Bay is a semi-enclosed shallow water body,where both Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen have been fishing for centuries.
  • India ceded the Katchatheevu Island to Sri Lanka, which was used by Indian fishermen for resting and drying their nets.
  • Since then, Indian fishermen have only been allowed “access” to the island for certain purposes, but not for fishing.
  • However, many Indian fishermen continue to cross the maritime border into Sri Lankan waters in search of a better catch.
  • This has led to frequent arrests, assaults, and even deaths of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy.
  • The issue has affected the political and diplomatic relations between India and Sri Lanka.
  • It  has also sparked protests and demands from Tamil Nadu and civil society groups in India for the retrieval of Katchatheevu Island and the protection of Indian fishermen.
  • India and Sri Lanka have set up a Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries in 2016, which is a mechanism to help find a permanent solution to the fisherman issue.
  • However, despite these efforts, the issue remains unresolved and contentious.

Instability in Sri Lanka

  • Civil war: Sri Lanka experienced a 25-year-long civil war between the government forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who wanted to create an independent state for the Tamil minority in the north and east of the country. The war ended in 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE, but left behind a legacy of trauma, displacement, and grievances among the ethnic communities.
  • Easter bombings: In 2019, a series of coordinated suicide bombings targeted three churches and three luxury hotels in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa, killing 269 people and injuring more than 500. The attacks were carried out by local Islamist extremists affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group.
  • Economic Crisis:Sri Lanka has been facing a severe economic crisis since 2019, which has led to unprecedented levels of inflation, near-depletion of foreign exchange reserves, shortages of medical supplies, and an increase in prices of basic commodities.
  • 2018 Constitutional Crisis:The constitutional crisis started in Sri Lanka when President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe and appointed Rajapaksa as PM without following the constitution or the parliament.The crisis has created a power struggle, a constitutional deadlock and concerns about the stability, democracy and human rights in Sri Lanka .
  • China’s debt trap diplomacy: Hambantota port failed to generate enough revenue to service the debt owing to China, forcing Sri Lanka to lease it to China for 99 years in 2017 as part of a debt-equity swap deal.

Indian Community in Sri Lanka

  • Sri Lanka is home to many people of Indian origin, who belong to different ethnic and religious groups.
  • Some of them are PIOs(People of Indian Origin), who came from India after partition and established themselves in various trades and professions.
  • They are a small but wealthy minority, and they celebrate their culture through their own organizations.
  • Another group is IOTs(Indian Origin Tamils), who are the offspring of Indian laborers who were brought to work in tea and rubber plantations by the British.
  • Hindus made up 12.6% of the Sri Lankan population. They are almost exclusively Tamils, except for small immigrant communities from India and Pakistan.

Recent developments in the relationship

  • Commencement of a passenger ferry service between Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province and Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu last marks the fulfillment of a long-standing demand across the Palk Strait for the revival of a sea link.

Conclusion

  • India-Sri Lanka relations can be strengthened by building mutual trust and friendship through cultural exchanges, educational collaborations, and people-to-people contacts.
  • India should increase its investments in Sri Lanka to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
  • Finally, promoting tourism and cultural exchanges will help in enhancing mutual understanding and trust between the two nations.

Practice Question: Explain the existing challenges in India-Sri Lanka ties. What is the role of India in helping out Sri Lanka in the 2022 Economic crisis?

Reference

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