India and Sri Lanka agreed on Friday to consider building a land bridge between the two countries, during the official visit of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to New Delhi, his first since taking the throne in 2022.
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Establishing a ‘land link’ across the Palk Strait in the Indian Ocean, which is about 25 kilometers wide, will give India access to the main ports of Trincomalee and Colombo and will strengthen the ‘millennial link’, the two neighbors said, in a strategic document released also reminiscent of the construction of oil pipelines.
As China’s presence in Sri Lanka increases, a feasibility study for this land bridge and oil pipeline will be carried out, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after their talks.
Mr Wickremesinghe’s visit came barely a year after he became President of Sri Lanka. The former Prime Minister succeeds Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was driven into exile for demonstrations against Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic crisis, which was marked by shortages of essential foodstuffs, food, petrol and medicines.
India dispensed with nearly $4 billion in aid when Colombo defaulted on its $46 billion foreign debt.
“Sri Lanka faced many challenges last year but like an old friend, we have stood with the Sri Lankan people in this time of crisis,” Modi said.
During the talks between the two leaders, New Delhi raised concerns about a “Chinese presence” in Sri Lanka, said Indian Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra.
India considers Sri Lanka its natural zone of influence and its leaders are concerned about Beijing’s activities on the island and in the region.
“The Sri Lankan side stated to us that they respect our security and are sensitive to our strategic concerns regarding our maritime area,” Kwatra told the press.
Among the projects mentioned in the strategic document, Wickremesinghe emphasized that the pipeline between the two countries “will guarantee a reliable and affordable supply of energy in Sri Lanka”.
