Ranil Wickremesinghe, the president of Sri Lanka, has stated that India is seen as the defender and provider of internet security for the area.
President Wickremesinghe recently described how Sri Lanka, a small nation with a long history of democracy and an open economy, has always maintained its political independence and looked to India, its closest neighbor with the longest relations, as the protector of the region in an online interview sponsored by Harvard University.
He further stressed Sri Lanka’s goal to develop a new economy through collaboration with India and the expansion of the Asian area during the interview on March 24.
On July 21, 2022, Wickremesinghe was inaugurated as president following a protracted rebellion of the populace brought on by the biggest economic crisis since Sri Lanka’s independence. Six times, he served as Sri Lanka’s prime minister.
President Wickremesinghe reportedly stated that the government aims to convert the current free trade agreement between Sri Lanka and India into a technical and economic cooperation agreement.
This is crucial. The next growth hub will be India, which will spur expansion throughout South Asia. We are only 22 miles away, so we must work extra hard to guarantee that Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka’s synergies are combined. India is expected to become the next major growth center, which might have a good effect on the economy of South Asia, thus this move is seen as vital, he said.
The largest trading bloc in Asia, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), is another organization that President Wickremesinghe stated he wanted to join. In addition, he said Sri Lanka wanted to be a part of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which would connect it to the three biggest trading blocs in the world: India, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the CPTPP.
The President noted that Sri Lanka needs to take into account the simmering large power competition in the Indian Ocean when pursuing these accords and that this could be a tricky problem.
President Wickremesinghe also expressed his desire to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Asia’s largest trade bloc. Furthermore, he stated that Sri Lanka would also like to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which would integrate the country with the three largest trade blocs in the world, namely India, RCEP, and CPTPP.
The President acknowledged that the smoldering big power rivalry in the Indian Ocean could be a sticky issue and that Sri Lanka needed to take this into account while pursuing these agreements.
“While our island has always maintained its political independence, India is regarded as the net security provider in the region and is Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and the country which we have the longest ties with,” President Wickremesinghe noted.
However, he added the presence of Chinese naval ships and the formation of alliances such as the Quad and Aukus have added to the complexity of maintaining peace and security in the region. To avoid any spillover effects from issues such as the Taiwan dispute, Sri Lanka has endorsed the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific.
During the online interaction, President Wickremesinghe highlighted the importance of maintaining uninterrupted access to the expanding Indian and African markets, which must not be disrupted by any big power rivalries or conflicts.
He also expressed confidence in Sri Lanka’s growth prospects and its ability to achieve its vision of a new economy that aligns with the developments in the Asian region and India, with the support of other Indian Ocean countries and South Asia.
Source – India News Network
