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by M. P. Muttiah

Indian High Commissioner Nirupama Rao speaking at the 57th Republic Day celebrations held at the India House in Colombo on Jan 26, welcomed the mid-February talks between the Government and the LTTE in Geneva as a positive sign towards the peace process.

The Indian High Commissioner said that India had always respected the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. She said that meaningful dialogue is the only solution to the ethnic problem.

The rights of all the communities in a pluralistic society should be respected. Nirupama Rao said that relations between the two countries stood the test of time. Both countries are united culturally in their long history.

`Now the bilateral relation encompassing commercial and economic development had taken a pride of place. Today India is the biggest parliamentary democracy in the world.

Founding fathers of India faced numerous challenges in making India a republic. But today India has become a leading economy in the world, respecting democratic values and unity in diversity, she said.

The High Commissioner said that President Mahinda Rajapakse's recent visit to New Delhi and the talks he held with Indian leaders had further imparted a new dimension to the longstanding friendship between the two neighbours.

She said that Indian President Dr.A. P. J. Abdul Kalam had stressed the need of arriving at a national consensus on the devolution of powers.

Cultural and National Heritage Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said that close relation between the two countries had been cemented on a solid foundation of cultural ties.

The exchange of visits between the leaders of both countries contributed immensely to widen and deepen commercial and economic development of Sri Lanka.

The Free Trade Agreement has further consolidated the bilateral economic relation. Despite the size of the economy and the country joint partnership between the two neighbours had grown considerably.

He thanked for the Indian assistance during the tsunami disaster.

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