Sri Lanka has been looking to enhance its existing economic and commercial ties with India, Sri Lankan envoy to New Delhi Milinda Moragoda said, adding the two countries should explore different spheres to boost their bilateral relationship. Appointed in August this year with a special mandate to repair ties with New Delhi, High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda met with Indian Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday in New Delhi.

A statement issued by the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi said the envoy discussed a range of issues “pertaining to bilateral economic cooperation” with Sitharaman. He also thanked India for its economic support to his country in several areas. 

Milinda came to India in August this year after he presented a vision document to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, containing a roadmap for improving ties with India. The relations between the two neighbors soured in recent months due to the growing trust deficit amid the Chinese tilt in the policies adopted by the Rajapaksa government. 

His meeting came amid the backdrop of a recent standoff between a Chinese firm and the Sri Lankan government over a canceled fertilizer deal, which the Sri Lankan government later awarded to an Indian firm. Furthermore, the meeting bears significance as the island nation has been going through what many say its worst-ever economic crisis. 

A few weeks earlier, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G L Peiris had confirmed that they were in touch with New Delhi for a $500 million credit line. 

Last month, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Sringla had also undertaken a four-day visit to Sri Lanka and discussed a wide range of issues, including contentious topics like the Trincomalee oil farm and the growing Chinese presence in the northern and eastern parts of the country.  

In recent weeks, both Colombo and New Delhi have sought to underline their shared cultural bonds. President Rajapaksa, who was in Glasgow last week to attend the climate summit, also spoke of his "pleasant encounter" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

(SAM)