India and Neighbouring Countries: Sri Lanka

About Sri Lanka

• Sri Lanka is an island nation with capitals Colombo, and Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte located in the southern part of the Indian peninsula.

Areas of Cooperation

1. Historical Ties
   • Ashoka spread Buddhism in Sri Lanka 2000 years ago.
   • The ancestors of Sri Lankan Tamils can be traced to the Tamil Nadu region as they were brought there by the British to work as indentured labourers on tea plantations.
2. Political Cooperation
   • India was the first country to recognize Sri Lanka’s independence (1948).
   • Time to time High-level exchanges of visits at regular intervals have been a defining feature of the political relations between the two nations.
   • Sri Lanka is part of India’s Neighbourhood First Policy.
   • Share common platforms like SAARC, and BIMSTEC.
3. Economic Cooperation
   • India was Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner.
   • During the COVID-19 situation, India initiated a currency-swapping facility for Sri Lanka.
4. Development Aid
   • India and Sri Lanka reached a bilateral agreement to increase the cap on High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP).
   • Assistance for internally displaced Tamils. India has constructed 30000 houses and other medical facility infrastructure.
   • During the financial crisis in Sri Lanka India gave $4 billion as a Line of Credit.
5. Defence Cooperation
   •  India and Sri Lanka conduct annual joint Military exercise ‘Mitra Shakti’ and Naval exercise SLINEX. 
   • India also provides defense training to Sri Lankan forces
   • A trilateral maritime security cooperation agreement has been struck by India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives to enhance surveillance, and anti-piracy operations, and reduce maritime pollution in the Indian Ocean region.
   • India and Sri Lanka also reached an agreement in 2019 to combat human and drug trafficking. 
6. Culture Relations
   • India and Sri Lanka signed a cultural cooperation agreement back in 1977. 
   • India provides scholarships to qualified Sri Lankan students in Undergraduate and research studies.Sri Lanka is also a partner in the Nalanda University project of India. 
   • Through the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, India offers representatives from several Sri Lankan government ministries 402 fully compensated positions each year. 
   • In order to deepen these ties, the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre (SVCC), the cultural branch of the Indian High Commission in Colombo, has been instrumental.

Concerns in Bilateral Relations

1. Cultural Issues
   • Buddhist majority in Sinhala discriminates against people of different religions and languages like Tamils by not giving them educational and job opportunities.
   • The bulk of Tamils were refused citizenship.
   • The Sri Lankan Civil war between LTTE and Government from 1983 and 2009 led to the displacement of Tamils, who settled in the Mandapam region of Tamil Nadu.
   • The Sri Lankan government not implementing the 13th Amendment which gives protection for Tamils.
2. China Nexus
   • As part of the String of Pearl strategy China is building leased Hambantota Port for 99 years.
3. Territorial Dispute 
   • Katchatheevu Island is a disputed region which is used by fisherman from both sides and they caught by forces of both countries