India is Sri Lanka's closest neighb

India is Sri Lanka's closest neighbour. The relationship between the two countries is more than 2,500 years old and both sides have built upon a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic intercourse. Relations between the two countries have also matured and diversified with the passage of time, encompassing all areas of contemporary relevance. In recent years, the relationship has been marked by close contacts at the highest political level, growing trade and investment, cooperation in the fields of development, education, culture and defence, as well as a broad understanding on major issues of international interest. Today, the India-Sri Lanka relationship is strong and poised for a quantum jump by building on the rich legacy of historical linkages and strong economic and development partnerships that have been forged.
Political Relations:
Political relations have been marked by high-level exchanges of visits. Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka visited India for the eighth meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission which was held on 22 January 2013. Prof. Peiris called on Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and had a bilateral meeting with Minister of External Affairs Shri Salman Khurshid during his visit. During the Joint Commission meeting, several important decisions were taken to further intensify economic engagement between the two countries. The two sides also signed an Agreement on Combating International Terrorism and Illicit Drug Trafficking and a Revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited India from 19-22 September 2012 and met President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. He also visited Sanchi to lay the foundation for the University of Buddhist and Indic Studies.
Then Minister of External Affairs Shri S.M. Krishna visited Sri Lanka from 16-19 January 2012. During his visit, he called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne. In his meeting with his counterpart, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister Krishna reviewed the comprehensive agenda of the bilateral relationship. Minister Krishna visited Kilinochchi and Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka and Galle in southern Sri Lanka in connection with Government of India assisted projects.
Former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited Sri Lanka from 20-24 January 2012 to launch the ‘National Plan for a Trilingual Sri Lanka’, at the invitation of the President of Sri Lanka.
Shri Anand Sharma, Minister of Commerce, Industry & Textiles visited Sri Lanka and inaugurated "The India Show - Land of Limitless Opportunities” at Colombo on 3
August 2012. About 108 Indian companies participated in the Show. Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Rural Development and Drinking Water and Sanitation paid an official visit to Sri Lanka from 11-13 July 2012. National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon visited Sri Lanka on 29 June 2012 and met President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Hon'ble Speaker of Lok Sabha, Smt. Meira Kumar led a 60 member delegation consisting of Members of Parliaments, Speakers and Member of State Legislative Assemblies and Councils and accompanying officials for the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association meeting from 11-15 September 2012. She had meetings with President, Speaker and Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka during her visit. Hon'ble Speaker had earlier visited Sri Lanka from 11-16 February 2011 to participate as the Guest of Honour at the 3rd CPA Asia Regional Conference. Hon’ble Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament Chamal Rajapaksa led a Parliamentary delegation to India from 1-4 August 2011at the invitation of Hon'ble Speaker of Lok Sabha. He also visited India to participate at the 5th Conference of Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians from 9-12 July 2011.
A 12-member Indian Parliamentary delegation, headed by the Hon’ble Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Smt. Sushma Swaraj visited Sri Lanka from 16-21 April
2012. The delegation met President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of External Affairs Prof. G. L. Peiris, Leader of the House and Minister of Irrigation Nimal Siripala de Silva, parliamentarians and leaders of other political parties. The delegation visited Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern Provinces where Indian assistance projects are under implementation.
The nearly three-decade long armed conflict between Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE came to an end in May 2009. During the course of the conflict, India supported the right of the Government of Sri Lanka to act against terrorist forces. At the same time, it conveyed at the highest levels its deep concern at the plight of the mostly Tamil civilian population, emphasizing that their rights and welfare should not get enmeshed in hostilities against the LTTE.
The need for national reconciliation through a political settlement of the ethnic issue has been reiterated by India at the highest levels. India's consistent position is in favour of a negotiated political settlement, which is acceptable to all communities within the framework of a united Sri Lanka and which is consistent with democracy, pluralism and respect for human rights. The Government of Sri Lanka has conveyed its assurance that political proposals building on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution will be discussed with the Tamil leadership of the country.
Given the proximity of the territorial waters of both countries, especially in the Palk Straits and the Gulf of Mannar, incidents of straying of fishermen are common. Both countries have agreed on certain practical arrangements to deal with the issue of bona fide fishermen of either side crossing the IMBL. Through these arrangements, it has been possible to deal with the issue of detention of fishermen in a humane manner.
India and Sri Lanka also enjoy a growing defence relationship built on extensive training and Service-to-Service linkages. The commonality of concerns of both countries, including with respect to the safety and security of their sea lanes of communication, informs their bilateral exchanges in this field.
Development Partnership
The conclusion of the armed conflict saw the emergence of a major humanitarian challenge, with nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians housed in camps for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). In June 2009, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh announced a grant of INR 5 billion (SLR 12 billion) for relief and rehabilitation in Sri Lanka. The Government of India put in place a robust programme of assistance to help these IDPs return to normal life as quickly as possible as also consistently advocated the need for them to be resettled to their original habitations as early as possible.
India’s immediate humanitarian assistance to IDPs included supply of 250,000 family relief packs, establishment of an emergency medical unit which treated over
50,0 IDPs and carried out over 3000 surgeries from March to September 2009, supply of over one million roofing sheets between August 2009 and May 2011 as well as 400,000 bags of cement for constructing temporary housing and provision of 95,000 starter packs of agricultural implements. Since the requirement of de-mining was a major constraint on the speed of resettlement, the Government of India fully financed seven Indian de-mining teams, engaged in various sectors in northern Sri Lanka to help expedite resettlement. As agriculture is the primary means of livelihood in the areas affected by the conflict, to jumpstart the revival of the local economy, Government of India supplied seeds as well as provided 500 tractors alongwith other agricultural implements to farmer organizations in northern Sri Lanka. To cater to the transportation needs of persons being resettled and to aid revival of their livelihoods, India has also provided 10,000 bicycles to IDPs and returnees in Northern Province.
With the shift from relief and rehabilitation to reconstruction and development, the Government of India turned its attention to the housing requirements of the IDPs. During the visit of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India from 8-11 June 2010, an announcement was made by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh that India would support a programme to reconstruct 50,000 houses in Sri Lanka. In order to ensure early operationalisation of this commitment, a Pilot Project involving construction of
1,0 houses was launched, covering all the five districts of Northern Province, through a groundbreaking ceremony during the visit of then Minister of External Affairs of India Shri S.M. Krishna to Sri Lanka in November 2010 at Ariyalai near Jaffna. The Pilot Project has been completed in July 2012 and houses handed over to beneficiaries. An MOU with the Government of Sri Lanka on the modalities of implementation of the remaining 49,000 houses under the Project was signed on 17 January 2012 during the next visit of Minister of External Affairs. This paved the way for launch of the second phase of the Project for construction and repair of 43,000 Housing Units in Northern and Eastern Provinces on 2 October 2012 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. By January
2013, more than 6,000 housing units under this phase were already under construction. The Housing Project is under full grant assistance of the GOI with a total outlay of INR 1,372 crore (approx. US $ 270 million or SLR 30.6 billion) making it one of the largest grant assistance projects implemented by the Government outside India. Among donor- funded humanitarian assistance projects in Sri Lanka, this Project is unmatched and unprecedented in its scale, reach and impact.