Sri Lanka
External
Affairs Minister, Shri Salman Khurshid meeting with the Minister of External Affair of Sri Lanka, Prof. Gamini Peiris, in Gurgaon (November 2, 2012)India greatly values its close relationship with Sri Lanka. This relationship has become multifaceted
and diverse, encompassing all areas of contemporary relevance, including connectivity, development partnership, cooperation in agriculture, power, education, human resource development and culture, greater economic engagement. The relationship has been further
strengthened through bilateral exchanges, including at the highest level in the recent past.
Today, India and Sri Lanka enjoy a robust trade and investment relationship, with bilateral trade growing rapidly in the last decade. Sri Lanka is currently India's largest trade partner in South Asia and bilateral trade has reached nearly US$ 5 billion. India
has also emerged as the number one source country as far as Foreign Direct Investment and tourist arrivals are concerned.
Following the conclusion of the armed conflict in May 2009, India has partnered with Sri Lanka in programmes for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons, with the objective of helping them return to normal life as quickly as possible.
Our efforts have included all facets of human endeavour, including supply of family relief packs; deployment of emergency medical; housing, shelter; de-mining; revival of agriculture; housing; infrastructure development, including railways, ports, repair and
renovation of schools and hospitals.
India’s consistent objective has been the achievement of a future for the Sri Lankan Tamil community in a united Sri Lanka in which all citizens can live in equality, dignity and self-respect. In this context, India is actively engaged with the Government and
the people of Sri Lanka in its efforts to reach a durable political solution acceptable to all sides, including through meaningful devolution of powers and the implementation of the 13th Amendment and beyond. India strongly believes that it is important to
address the issue in a time bound manner in order to arrive at a solution that meets substantially the aspirations of the Tamil community for justice, peace and dignity.
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