High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Milinda Moragoda met with the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman today (14) at the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi, as the latest of a series of meetings he has had with her since November 2021. 

The meeting between the Finance Minister of India and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka took place just ahead of the first meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers scheduled to be held on 24-25 February 2023 in Bengaluru, chaired by Minister Sitharaman.

During the discussion, High Commissioner Moragoda once again thanked Minister Sitharaman for the unprecedented emergency assistance that India has extended to Sri Lanka and for the timely issuance of India’s financial assurances to the International Monetary Fund, concerning the country’s debt restructuring process.

The High Commissioner also thanked India and Minister Sitharaman for the assistance being provided to Sri Lanka in the present economic recovery phase, in particular for the necessary regulations and approvals that are being set in place to facilitate rupee trade between the two countries. The discussion also focused on the ways and means to utilize the available resources in the 1 billion USD Indian line of credit to import urgently required essential pharmaceuticals, which are in short supply in Sri Lanka.  

High Commissioner Moragoda briefed Minister Sitharaman on Sri Lanka’s ongoing discussions with the International Monetary Fund to obtain the Extended Fund Facility and the present status of the country’s debt restructuring process. While apprising the Minister of the drastic impact the present economic contraction is having on the population of Sri Lanka, High Commissioner Moragoda expressed his appreciation to Minister Sitharaman for her efforts in garnering international support for Sri Lanka’s case including at the G20 forum. 

Continuing his engagement with the key officials of the Government of India, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Milinda Moragoda met with the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra today (10) at the Prime Minister’s Office. 

A cabinet rank official, Dr. Mishra has been serving as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since September 2019. 

The meeting between the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka was held in a very cordial manner, and a range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship was discussed. 

High Commissioner Moragoda thanked Dr. Mishra for the support India has been extending to Sri Lanka in the context of the present economic crisis. The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, while recalling India’s historical and deep ties with Sri Lanka, stated that it was India’s duty to help its neighbour when it faced a crisis.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner also stressed the vital role that India could play in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery phase through tourism. The discussion focused on the ways and means to enhance bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector, including at the State level, using the MoU signed between Sri Lanka and the State of Gujarat in 2009 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat and High Commissioner Moragoda was the Tourism Minister of Sri Lanka, as a template. 

High Commissioner Moragoda also followed-up with Principal Secretary Mishra on the invitation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended to President Ranil Wickremesinghe to visit New Delhi. 

During the past few weeks, High Commissioner Moragoda also met with several other key officials of the Government of India, including Finance Secretary T.V. Somanathan, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Chairman of the NITI Aayog Parameswaran Iyer.

The Defence Advisers of Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, DPR Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Senegal, Sudan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Zambia took part in this interactive session. 

High Commissioner Moragoda warmly welcomed the Defence Advisers and Attachés, and briefed the salient pillars of the ‘Integrated Country Strategy,’ which has laid the strategic working framework for Sri Lanka Diplomatic Missions in India. He then appraised them of the present economic and political situation in Sri Lanka and thanked the international community for the assistance rendered in overcoming the economic challenges. The High Commissioner also emphasized the need to engage with friendly foreign countries to promote trade, investment, and tourism as a means to revive the Sri Lankan economy. 

Highlighting the vibrant Indo-Lanka relations, High Commissioner Moragoda elaborated the key role played by India by way of extending much-needed financial assistance worth of nearly USD 4 billion, which served as the lifeline that rescued Sri Lanka’s economy from a total collapse. He also deliberated upon the strong defence cooperation that exists between the two countries and the continued training assistance extended to the members of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces by India, which includes over 400 monthly training opportunities.  

The High Commissioner also recalled the recently signed agreements between the two countries on the Colombo MRCC, Floating Dock and the Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft that are considered as important capacity and capability initiatives.   

High Commissioner Moragoda briefed the Defence Advisers on the strategic significance Sri Lanka holds in the Indian Ocean and highlighted some of the unique maritime security threats and challenges that Sri Lanka encounters in the Indian Ocean, and stressed the importance of having a collaborative approach towards addressing a wider spectrum of issues, especially in the maritime domain. 

Recalling the already-established defence cooperation arrangements with some of the other friendly foreign countries, the High Commissioner noted the importance of identifying newfangled areas of cooperation with the assistance of the accredited Defence Advisers in sectors such as capacity and capability building as a means of expanding defence cooperation with Sri Lanka.

This event is a continuation of a series of engagements that the High Commissioner has had with the envoys of the New Delhi-based diplomatic Missions who are concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka. 

The Office of the Defence Adviser of the High Commission of Sri Lanka acts as the nodal point in coordinating all matters pertaining to defence cooperation among the concurrently accredited Defence Advisers of 24 countries who are based in New Delhi.