Friendly neighbours

Away from the glitter and gloss of several hyped bilateral and multilateral engagements of the Indian government, the comparatively low-profile meeting between the Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Indian Prime Minister holds distinct relevance. In his first visit to India since he became president following the Sri Lankan economic crisis last year, Ranil Wickremesinghe appreciated India’s remarkable gesture of help and cooperation during the "most challenging period in our (Sri Lankan) recent history." In 2022, Sri Lanka faced a severe economic and political crisis, leaving its citizens grappling with widespread unrest and instability. During this challenging period, India, being a close neighbour and a reliable partner in the region, extended a significant and compassionate gesture of help to its fellow South Asian nation. India swiftly responded by providing humanitarian aid and essential supplies, including food, medicine, and financial assistance, to alleviate the hardships faced by the Sri Lankan people. It is estimated that New Delhi had extended a huge sum of around USD 4 billion as financial assistance at a time when Colombo needed it the most. In this context, the gratitude extended by the Sri Lankan President appears genuine, and not just a formality. Credit to the proven leadership of veteran Wickremesinghe, over the last year, Sri Lanka has acquired a considerable degree of stability, including the successful negotiations on the IMF bailout package. This might be the time for the nation to build upon this foundation and chart out a path for its complete recovery. During last year’s economic-political crisis, India had stood beside Sri Lanka as a responsible neighbour. Perhaps this is the reason that Sri Lanka now considers India as a crucial link in the chain leading to its full-fledged recovery. As Sri Lanka strives to bounce back, the re-augmentation of its trademark tourism sector will be a key priority area. India, it may be noted, has been one of the top markets for Sri Lanka’s inbound tourism. In this light, tourism has been outlined as a major thrust area in the latest Vision Document signed between the two countries. New cultural tourism linkages, connecting tourist sites in the two countries, are to be taken up. Apart from this, existing circuits are to undergo expansion and fast-tracking. Other key areas emphasized in the Vision Document include the maritime sector, energy, people-to-people connectivity, power, trade, higher education, and skill development. India’s cooperation during last year’s crisis has made one thing very clear—it understands the importance of the stability of its water-locked southern neighbour and is willing to work in this direction. Wickremesinghe’s visit to India could well be the required opportunity! Besides ensuring the stability of Sri Lanka, the deep economic and strategic ties between the two nations can also serve other routine interests of India. In terms of strategic relevance, there is a widespread misconception that India’s outreach to Sri Lanka is predominantly aimed at countering China in the Indian Ocean region. Of course, this is one of the many objectives, but its feasibility and weightage need to be assessed. Firstly, it must be understood that China still wields significant influence in Sri Lanka’s internal dynamics—not just because it owes debt to the Asian superpower but also because it needs it as a cushion against the hostile approach of the US and other Western nations. In the recent past, Sri Lanka has struggled to keep itself insulated from the human rights-related probe by the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC). Sri Lanka is also aware that China’s veto power in the UNSC can be leveraged to its advantage in the future. It is very essential to see the improving Indo-Sri Lankan ties in an independent capacity. Even though the Indian leadership has explicitly placed its thrust on the stability of the Indian Ocean region, it is heartening to see that it is diversifying and deepening bilateral relations in an unprecedented manner. If India can nudge the US and other Western nations to soften their stance against Sri Lanka, then Sri Lanka will automatically have choices other than China.