EAM Jaishankar makes strong pitch for rights of Tamilians during his visit to Sri Lanka

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday made a strong pitch for the reconciliation of the Tamil community during his three-day visit to Colombo. He spoke out firmly in favour of Tamilians in Sri Lanka and reiterated India’s stand in support of the 13th Amendment, which entails greater representation for the community, as well as reaffirms the importance of the language.

During his visit, Jaishankar said, "It is in Sri Lanka’s own interest that the expectations of the Tamil people for equality, justice, peace and dignity within a united Sri Lanka are fulfilled. That applies equally to the commitments made by the Sri Lankan Government on meaningful devolution, including the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The progress and prosperity of Sri Lanka will surely be advanced as a consequence.”

The message signifies the importance India gives to the aspirations of the Sri Lankan Tamil community. In its tenure, the NDA government has undertaken various efforts including housing projects and cultural restoration for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka.

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Jaishankar is visiting Colombo over three months after the Prime Ministers of the countries held a virtual summit during which the two sides agreed to further expand ties in a range of areas such as anti-terror cooperation, maritime security and trade and investment. He also spoke on the need to ensure the aspirations of the minority Tamils are addressed within a united Sri Lanka.

"India has been strongly committed to the unity, stability and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka. Our support for the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka is long-standing as indeed for an inclusive political outlook that encourages ethnic harmony,” the EAM said.

India and Sri Lanka last week held through video conferencing a meeting of the joint working group on fisheries and discussed the issues related to fishermen and the ways to overcome challenges posed by the COVI-19 pandemic. 

On his part, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister conveyed profound gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and the Indian government for the tremendous support India extended in the past several months to mitigate the adverse impact of the COVID pandemic.

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