Milinda stresses importance of developing 8 thrust areas to elevate Sri Lanka-India ties

Sri Lanka›s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda has stated that it is critically important to develop eight thrust areas in moving Sri Lanka-India relations from a transactional phase to a strategic phase, in keeping with the fourth pillar of the four-pillar cooperation package announced during the recent visit of the Sri Lankan Finance Minister to India. 

High Commissioner Moragoda made these remarks speaking at a virtual event organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation, a premier think-tank based in New Delhi, to discuss his policy roadmap, the ‘Integrated Country Strategy for Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions in India 2021/2023’.

At this virtual event, organised as part of a series of such events to bring the Integrated Country Strategy to the attention of the Delhi-based think tanks, High Commissioner Moragoda elaborated the importance of developing the areas of petroleum, electricity, ports, tourism, ICT, exports, manufacturing and agriculture to elevate the Sri Lanka-India relationship to a strategic level as envisaged in the Integrated Country Strategy.

In this context, he stressed the need to integrate the Trincomalee Oil Tank Farms and the Port of Trincomalee to the overall energy strategy of India with a view to making Trincomalee an energy hub – a move which he observed would be beneficial to both countries.

At the beginning of the event, the Integrated Country Strategy was introduced to the participants by Deputy High Commissioner Niluka Kadurugamuwa while the High Commissioner›s remarks were followed by a discussion that focused on many aspects of the bilateral relationship, including people to people contacts, connectivity, energy, etc.

A large number of participants attended the virtual event. Former Ambassador of India to Iran Dinkar Srivastav, former Deputy Chief of the Army Staff Lt. General Ravi Sawhney, and Indian Ship Owners› Association CEO Anil Devli, were also among the participants.

The session was moderated by Vivekananda International Foundation Director Dr. Aravind Gupta.

Vivekananda International Foundation, an independent, non-partisan institution that promotes quality research and in-depth studies was founded in 2009 and present National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval was its founder Director. Its present Director Dr. Arvind Gupta was a former Deputy National Security Advisor of India.