Roundtable conference between Kalinga International Foundation and Pathfinder Foundation on Monday

With a view to discussing this dynamic relationship, The Pathfinder Foundation (PF) has scheduled a day-long round table discussion with Kalinga International Foundation (KIF) based in New Delhi on Monday 29 October in Colombo. 

The proposed deliberation with KIF could be a useful opportunity to understand Indian stance on multifaceted issues involving the Indian Ocean Region, and further develop Indo-Lanka relations to a new high level.

The KIF delegation will be led by former foreign secretary of India, Ambassador Lalit Mansingh and would consist of former Indian Navy Admiral, former secretaries, ambassadors, professors and other subject matter experts from India. The Sri Lankan delegation will be led former Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary Bernard Goonetilleke and would consist of former secretaries, ambassadors, governors, admirals, generals, economic professionals, leading business personnel and leading energy experts. The keynote address titled ‘Historical and Cultural Links between Odisha and Sri Lanka’ will be delivered by Professor J.B. Dissanayake. 

 India and Sri Lanka have enjoyed historical relationship encompassing social, economic, cultural, religious and political linkages. The intrinsic commonalities between the two nations and their geographical positioning are the rationale for the two countries to maintain mutually supportive and positive relations to facilitate a stable and secure environment. 

India being Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and given its position as the regional power, its influence among the neighbouring countries in general and on the island in particular, is indisputable. In recent times, India has made a policy decision to develop asymmetrical bilateral relations with its neighbours, which would serve national interests of the two countries and strengthen its regional standing. 

Sri Lanka’s geo-strategic location and close proximity to the busiest shipping lanes across the Indian Ocean makes the island a focal point for ensuring maritime safety and security. India, being a successful democracy and an emerging economic power, and Sri Lanka, moving towards a new era following the end of a 30-year long separatist conflict, must work closely for safeguarding and promoting common interests focusing on socio-economic benefits for both countries. 

Enhancing connectivity, energy security which has been a subject of discussion in the SAARC and BIMSTEC context, has also been a major national priority for both countries.  Promoting internal, trans-border and regional connectivity have become an urgent imperative for both countries, as they seek to sustain economic growth in the coming decades. 

Both Delhi and Colombo have rediscovered their geographic advantages and are determined to leverage them. India is acutely conscious of its geo-economic location in the cross-roads of Asia and the heart of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka has begun to highlight its Indian Ocean identity and wishes to leverage its position as the maritime fulcrum of the maritime trade routes in the Indo-Pacific littoral. 

While the separatist conflict interrupted connectivity between the two countries, economic liberalisation has compelled Delhi and Colombo to focus on privileging their physical proximity. The growing infrastructure linkages between the two countries are reflected in the fact that Colombo has become the second largest port (after Mumbai) for transportation of goods to and from India.