New Delhi: In a significant diplomatic gesture, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday assured India that his country will not allow its territory to be used in any way that could harm India’s security or regional stability. Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dissanayake reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to mutual trust and cooperation, especially in light of recent regional tensions.
“Sri Lanka will not permit its territory to be used in any manner inimical to the security of India as well as towards regional stability,” President Dissanayake declared, marking a renewed sense of alignment with New Delhi’s strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region.
The reassurance from Colombo comes as India and Sri Lanka aim to reset and strengthen their bilateral ties, which had seen strain in the past few years—particularly after the controversial docking of the Chinese surveillance vessel ‘Yuan Wang’ at Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port in August 2022. The move had raised eyebrows in New Delhi and led to concerns over China’s growing footprint in what India considers its strategic backyard.
Dissanayake also made a formal request to India for technical discussions regarding Sri Lanka’s maritime claims. “I requested Prime Minister Modi’s intervention in convening early bilateral technical discussions pertaining to Sri Lanka’s claim to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond Exclusive Economic Zone,” he said.
This renewed collaboration comes alongside a fresh defence pact between the two countries, aimed at enhancing strategic cooperation nearly four decades after India’s Peace Keeping Force was deployed to the island nation.
India’s concerns over China’s increasing influence in the Indian Ocean region have been central to its foreign policy. Sri Lanka’s latest assurances signal a move towards closer defence and diplomatic coordination, underscoring the island nation’s growing importance in regional geopolitics.
