India, Sri Lanka Show How To Keep Ties Balanced Despite Regime Change

ETV Bharat explains how New Delhi can maintain balance in bilateral ties with neighbouring countries even if there are regime changes in any such country.

New Delhi: In what can be seen as an example of how India can keep bilateral ties with a neighbouring country balanced even if there is a regime change in that country, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a cordial meeting with new Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the course of a daylong visit to Colombo on Friday.

In the process, Jaishankar became the first foreign minister from any country to meet Dissanayake after the latter assumed office last month.

“Pleased to receive Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar today, during his official visit to Sri Lanka," Dissanayake posted on his X handle following the meeting. "Discussions focused on boosting cooperation in multiple sectors. Dr. Jaishankar reaffirmed India's support for Sri Lanka's economic recovery. The importance of continued bilateral collaboration mutually beneficial issues was also discussed."

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, during his meeting with Dissanayake, Jaishankar spoke about ongoing initiatives in the field of energy production and transmission, fuel and LNG supply, solar electrification of religious places, connectivity, digital public infrastructure, health and dairy development.

"He highlighted that they would contribute to economic sustainability and provide new streams of revenue," the statement reads. "The Sri Lankan President said that India's economic support is critical to realise his vision of a prosperous Sri Lanka and meeting the aspirations of the people. He referred to the potential of export of renewable energy to India, which could help reduce production costs in Sri Lanka and create additional resources. The President also noted the contribution of Indian tourists and recognised that this has the potential to grow further."

Prior to meeting Dissanayake, Jaishankar held wide-ranging and detailed talks with his new Sri Lankan counterpart Vijitha Herath. The Ministry stated that, during the meeting, Jaishankar conveyed India's strong commitment to advance bilateral cooperation based on its Neighbourhood First Policy and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) outlook. In this context, he assured that India's ongoing development assistance to Sri Lanka through projects of Sri Lankan priority will be continued.

Jaishankar also held a meeting with new Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya during the course of which he underlined that the Government of India was prepared to respond to the training and capacity building requirements of Sri Lanka. Their discussion also focused on the benefits of digital public infrastructure.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar meets Sri Lanka Foreign Affairs Minister Vijitha Herath, in Colombo on Friday (ANI)

That New Delhi has managed to keep bilateral ties with Colombo on an even keel is evident from reports emerging in the Sri Lankan media that Dissanayake might make his first overseas official trip after assuming office to India. Jaishankar extended to Dissanayake an invitation on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit India at a mutually convenient time. The Daily Mirror, citing sources, reported that Dissanayake is expected to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and make New Delhi the destination of his first bilateral visit after the parliamentary elections in the Indian Ocean island nation scheduled for November 14.

Jaishankar's visit to Sri Lanka has largely put doubts about how to deal with a completely new entity that has assumed power in Sri Lanka at rest. Dissanayake is the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a leftist political party that is the main component of the NPP alliance. Dissanayake had won the presidential election representing the NPP alliance. He is Sri Lanka's first president to be elected from a third party other than the two major political parties dominating the country's political landscape.

The India-Sri Lanka relationship has traditionally been marked by bonhomie and a legacy of cultural, religious and linguistic interaction. Trade and investment have grown and there is cooperation in the fields of development, education, culture and defence.

Sri Lanka is one of India's major development partners and this partnership has been an important pillar of bilateral ties between the two countries over the years. With grants alone amounting to around $570 million, the overall commitment by the Government of India is to the tune of more than $3.5 billion.

When Sri Lanka was faced with an unprecedented economic crisis in 2022, India provided around $4 billion worth of aid. India also played a crucial role in collaborating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and creditors to help Sri Lanka restructure its debt.

Located close to India’s southern coast, Sri Lanka is of huge geostrategic importance for India. India has been expressing concerns about China's growing economic and strategic influence on Sri Lanka, including Chinese investments in infrastructure projects and the development of the Hambantota Port. India has been trying to keep China away from a region New Delhi sees as to be under its sphere of influence.

India's keeping bilateral ties with Sri Lanka largely intact despite a regime change is in sharp contrast with how the India-Maldives relationship deteriorated following the election of Mohamed Muizzu, seen as pro-China, as President of the Indian Ocean archipelago nation last year. Muizzu had won the presidential election on a pronounced 'India Out' campaign. After assuming office, he ensured the withdrawal of a handful of Indian security personnel deployed in the Maldives primarily to operate some India-supplied aircraft for emergency medical evacuations.

Muizzu then broke a practice followed by his three immediate democratically elected predecessors - Ibrahim Solih, Abdulla Yameen and Mohamed Nasheed - who had made India the destination of their first state visit after assuming office. In fact, after assuming office in November last year, Muizzu made Turkey the destination of his first state visit.

In December last year, the Maldives decided not to renew a hydrography agreement with India citing national security concerns and the safeguarding of sensitive information. Bilateral ties further nosedived in early January this year when three junior ministers in Muizzu's cabinet made disparaging remarks against India and Prime Minister Modi when he visited the Lakshwadeep islands and promoted these as attractive tourist destination. Then Muizzu went on a state visit to China ahead of visiting India. In between, Maldives also allowed a Chinese research vessel to enter its territorial waters despite New Delhi's objections.

Despite all these, India kept dealing with the Maldives with a fair hand and in February this year ensured the continuation of supply of essential commodities when the country was faced with a shortage of such items.

However, in March this year, in what can be viewed as a sudden turnaround from his pronounced foreign policy steps against India, Muizzu said that India will continue to be the closest ally of his country and expressed the hope that New Delhi will provide debt repayment relief to the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.

In May this year, then Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer visited India. And then in June, Muizzu visited India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi for the third term.

India, meanwhile provided the debt relief that Muizzu had sought also did not pare down development aid to the Maldives in the Union Budget presented in July. And then, in August, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar visited the Maldives for the first time since Muizzu came to power. During the visit, Jaishankar commissioned a number of India-financed projects.

Meanwhile, two of the three junior ministers who were suspended for making disparaging remarks against India and Prime Minister Modi have since resigned. All this has now culminated in Muizzu all set to embark on his first bilateral visit to India. The Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday that the Maldives President will be coming to India on a bilateral visit from October 6 to 10.

"Maldives is India's key maritime neighbor in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and holds a special place in Prime Minister's vision of SAGAR and India's Neighbourhood First Policy," the Ministry said in a statement.

"The visit of President Dr. Muizzu to India after the recent visit of the External Affairs Minister to Maldives is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its relations with the Maldives and is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people to people ties between the two countries."

Meanwhile, in August, India was faced with a fresh diplomatic challenge when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi, was ousted after a mass uprising in protest against what people called her authoritarian style of governance. India was caught totally in the back foot. Even as Hasina took shelter in India, an interim government with Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as Chief Advisor assumed power.

The ensuing violence against the minority Hindu community and the government's apparent inaction against the perpetrators further strained ties between the two countries. Work on major India-funded connectivity projects has also been impacted. There has been no bilateral visit from either side since Hasina's ouster.

The Bangladesh government also went on to impose a total ban on the export of the much sought after hilsa fish. However, in what can be seen as a slight thaw in relations, the export of 3,000 tonnes of the delicacy ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations was allowed reportedly on the directions of the "top authorities".

In another positive development that can also be seen as an example of sub-regional cooperation, India, Bangladesh and Nepal signed a long-awaited power trade agreement on Thursday. Under the agreement, Nepal will export power to Bangladesh via Indian transmission lines.

Yes, there have been changes in the political dynamics in India's immediate neighbourhood that may have been inimical to New Delhi's interests. However, balance can be maintained in bilateral ties with deft diplomatic handling as Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka on Friday has shown.