Sri Lanka applies the reset button with India

India and Sri Lanka share a common history that goes back to centuries, but multiple issues have cropped up in the last few years. Colombo could now be making an attempt to iron them out with an official visit from the High Commissioner designate to New Delhi slated for this month.

It has been exactly a year since Mahinda Rajapaksa became the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka after a massive electoral victory last year and the signs that he wants stronger ties with India have only become more evident. Later this month, the High Commissioner designate from the island nation is slated to visit India armed with a package to help iron out issues that have cropped up between the two countries.

It is expected to be a busy trip with discussions on a host of issues like trade, connectivity, investment and ways to resolve the fishermen’s issues. As a sweetener, he will also arrive with Sita temple stone for the under construction Ram temple in Ayodhya.

India is Lanka’s largest trading partner in the world and the two countries signed one of their earliest free trade agreements that dates back to 2000. China’s growing influence in the region has in recent times added a new angle to the Indo-Sri Lankan relationship.

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