Modi wants more talks on pledges given to India
■ Two premiers discuss gamut of issues; New Delhi keen to secure ECT deal ■ Indian PM expresses concern over lack of progress in implementing Indian projects
NEW DELHI, October 20 - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday called upon Sri Lanka to continue the ongoing discussions on all pledges given to his country.
It is learnt that this included the Colombo Port's Eastern Container Terminal ( ECT), regarding which a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed last year.
Reflecting the position, India's External Affairs Ministry, in a statement, said, “They also reviewed the progress in implementations of various decisions taken during high-level exchanges in the recent past…”
Interpreting the statement, diplomatic sources said the Indian statement reflected
a keenness to continue the provisions of the MOU on the Eastern Container Terminal with the possibility of making any amendments to the MOU.
President Maithripala Sirisena earlier told the Cabinet that under no circumstances, would the ECT be given to an outside party.
The request came when visiting Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe held oneon-one talks with Prime Minister Modi at the latter's office in New Delhi.
The Indian government's statement did not give details but said the two Prime Ministers discussed a gamut of issues in bilateral relations. It noted that they “reviewed the progress in implementation of various decisions taken during high level exchanges in the recent past. This had included Premier Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka in May 2017 for the International Vesak Day celebrations and the visit of Sri Lankan Prime Minister for the Solar Alliance Conference in March 2018.
Diplomatic sources said Prime Minister Modi told his Sri Lankan counterpart he also wished to see other assurances given to India were implemented by the Government.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe’s visit here came just 24 hours after Sri Lanka President Sirisena, spoke on the telephone with Mr. Modi. He told the Indian Prime Minister that he had not accused India's intelligence agency RAW of being involved in a plot to assassinate him.
Mr Modi told his Sri Lankan counterpart he had conveyed to President Sirisena that when there were such issues, he would have preferred if Colombo government leaders reached out to their New Delhi counterparts directly. The move, officials here said, reflected his displeasure since both sides have suffered adverse publicity, with Sri Lanka facing the most part.
Meanwhile, In Colombo, the Prime Minister's office in a statement said Mr.Modi had expressed concern that several of the projects that were earmarked to begin in 2017 after the signing of agreements between the two countries had not got off the ground and requested that they be expedited.
The Indian Prime Minister has said he has devoted the greatest amount of time to build relations between the two countries but it regrettable that this was not reciprocated by the Sri Lanka Government in the same manner. He requested that if there was a suspicion or any problem, it should be discussed without hesitation, the statement said.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe assured his Indian counterpart that there was no suspicion or any problem regarding the Indian Government or Prime Minister Modi among Sri Lankans and if, due to some reasons, there was such a feeling, he regretted it.