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| Sunday, 25 December 2005 |
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To further strengthen bilateral relations : President to visit India on Dec. 27 by M.P. Muttiah Sri Lanka and India will open a new chapter in their bilateral relations when President Mahinda Rajapakse visits New Delhi on Dec.27, the first, after he ascended the Presidency. For President Rajapakse, this will not be his first visit to India as he had been there several times. The present Indian leadership is also not unknown to him. His last visit to India took place in July 26, 2004,as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. During this visit he met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and several other Indian leaders. He was able to obtain US $250 million credit line to cushion the increasing oil prices and development of road network in Sri Lanka. But the present one makes a difference. He visits New Delhi as the Executive President with the power making policy decisions on his own for the interest of the country. This visit also takes place the very next day of the first anniversary of the tsunami disaster and India helped immensely to Sri Lanka for its recovery. India demonstrated that it was not only a giant neighbour but also a great friend in need. This visit also has become important when the peace process and the CeaseFire Agreement is in a fragile state due to provocation. At the meeting with the diplomatic community on Nov. 25, President Rajapakse said: "We will follow a foreign policy of friendship with all and enmity towards none. To this end we will be guided by the principles of Non-Aligned Movement and the developing countries, whenever these principles and our national interests converge. We will build on our own solid and very close bilateral relationship with our immediate neighbours of the sub-region as well as our friends in Asia. We will further strengthen our relations with the rest of the world...Greater efforts will be made to widen and deepen the economic content of foreign policy efforts and foreign relation activities." President Rajapakse's statement reflected the common shared views of India and Sri Lanka in the international arena. Bilateral trade between the two countries recorded a volume of US $ 1.8 billion last year with the imbalance narrowing significantly. During the meeting between Indian and Sri Lankan leaders last June, they said that there was encouraging progress on negotiation on a comprehensive economic Partnership. They directed the officials that the negotiation on CEP be concluded by the end of this year, so as to give a new thrust to overall bilateral business activity in several areas of mutual interest and thereby strengthen the partnership in economic development between them. The 6th session of the Joint Commission, held in Colombo in June, the two countries agreed on a greater cooperation in trade, agriculture, industry, science, services, technology, health, education and defence. However, the most important factor that concerns both the countries is the peace process. President Mahinda Rajapakse outlining his view on the peace process said: "My deep commitment to pursuing the peace process through broadbased consultations and with the assistance of all those friendly countries which have helped as in the past." In his swearing-in ceremony, President Rajapakse said: "I appeal to India and other friendly Asian neighbours as well as the international community who love our small island nation to assist us in reaching an honourable peace in the country." India's involvement in the peace process has always been stressed by various quarters in the past. But now, on the eve of his visit to New Delhi, President Rajapakse, meeting Indian journalists on Wednesday, invited India to join the international efforts made by the United States, the European Union and Norway who are co-chairs of the peace process. President Rajapakse said that "India can at least join with the other co-chairs. This would involve North-East development. The presence of an Indian representative at the Dec.19 meeting of co-chairs in Brussels show that the New Delhi is taking more interest". As such it is hoped that President Rajapakse's visit to India would not
only give a boost to bilateral relations but also to the peace process. |
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