In his letter to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa introducing the paper, Moragoda outlines plans for the next two years of his tenure in Delhi, including high-level visits between both capitals. The strategy is silent on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) with India, negotiations for which appear deadlocked.
While it sets a goal for Sri Lankan exports to India of about US$ 675 million in 2022, it points out that export prospects presently suffer due to “increasing protectionism, limited market access, a challenging and unpredictable regulatory environment as well as the Make in India Initiative, which prioritises local business and sourcing of local raw materials and products over imports.” It also advocates an inter-Agency Committee on Trade, Investment and Tourism to reach Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) goals of US$ 256 million from India in 2022. In its recommendations, the paper says it is ‘imperative’ that Colombo speeds up the West Container Terminal (WCT) that Sri Lanka offered after cancelling the ECT project, as well as the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farm and other pending projects. While officials say the COVID situation and the lack of connectivity between India and Sri Lanka during the second wave contributed to the delay, no official reason was given to the Indian side who had processed the diplomatic agreement speedily at the time.Ī Ministry of External Affairs official welcomed news of the High Commissioner’s pending arrival, but said New Delhi had not yet received details of the “Integrated Country Strategy” for India. His predecessor High Commissioner Austin Fernando completed his term and returned to Colombo on January 11, 2020, which makes this the longest period the position has remained vacant, even though Moragoda’s appointment was announced in August 2020. The reset in ties is expected to be marked by the arrival of Moragoda, a former Cabinet Minister, in mid-August. This is a consequence of the changes in the geo-political equilibrium in the region, that have resulted in a growing trust deficit,” says the document prepared by a team led by new High Commissioner- to-be Milinda Moragoda, Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa and top diplomats at missions in Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai. “In recent years, the Indo-Sri Lanka bilateral relationship has been increasingly dominated by a transactional approach. The Rajapaksa government has been disappointed over the lack of movement on requests it made for India for assistance including a debt repayment waiver for three years and a separate currency swap for US$ 1 billion, to help with economic crisis, which were made by President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In February, the Narendra Modi Government expressed its unhappiness over Sri Lanka’s decision to scrap the East Container Terminal project signed in 2019, amidst other signs that China was gaining the upper hand in infrastructure deals in the country. After months of strain over a number of issues including the cancelled Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) port project in Colombo, Sri Lanka is preparing to send its High Commissioner designate to New Delhi, along with a ‘roadmap’ to restore ties that includes resolving fishermen’s issues, building connectivity, trade and investment, as well as promoting religious links, Buddhist exchanges and handing over a sacred “Sita Temple Stone” from Sri Lanka for the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya.Īccording to a formal proposal presented to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, which The Hindu has seen, the roadmap will help bridge the “growing trust deficit”.
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