Colombo: Ranil Wickremesinghe, the  President of Sri Lank  said that India is the net security provider and the protector of the region. Taking part an online interview organised by Harvard University, the president of Sri Lankasaid  that "as a small country with a strong democratic tradition and an open economy, Sri Lanka has always maintained its political independence and viewed India, its closest neighbour with the longest relations, as the protector of the region."

"The simmering major power competition in the Indian Ocean is the second tricky topic that we need to take into consideration. The powerful Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country due to severe political unrest, which followed by the worst economic crisis the country had ever experienced since its independence, when Wickremesinghe took over as president of Sri Lanka. Despite the fact that our island has always maintained its political independence, India is regarded as the region's primary source of security and is Sri Lanka's closest neighbor.
Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka’s aim was not to have big power rivalry in the area. He said, "We all like to make sure that we work with India, China, the United States, Japan, and everyone else.  He also insisted that Sri Lanka would like to see that no confrontation breaks out between India and China, and India and Pakistan.

“So far, the situation has held. Though it’s the tensest place in the world with three nuclear powers. If there is a conflict, none of us want to find ourselves having to choose between China and India, according to the interview made public by the President Media Unit. 

“Then comes the third question regarding Sri Lanka and India and China. India and China have reportedly held off on resolving the issue because they want it to be bilateral. There has been meddling maybe by Russia and others indirectly.

"It is our responsibility to prevent conflict and to improve relations. Although in our region of the world we are not involved in the Ukraine issue and has avoided taking sides, this is going to be a difficult task right now with the Quad operating on one side and China on the other, and Ukraine has really raised the level of confrontation between the West, Russia, and China.

"However, this is the reason I was concerned that the UK's presence in the Indian Ocean and Pacific, where they shouldn't be, and its military might, could worsen the situation. I think between us in the region we will somehow manage it. Hence, we all want to make sure that we cooperate with India, China, the US, Japan, and everyone else in order to prevent things from getting worse, he said.

President Wickremesinghe responded to a question about the growing rivalry in the region between China and other nations by saying that Sri Lanka maintains close ties with all of the Quad members as well as China.

“Sri Lanka is also a member of the Belt and Road Initiative. The Quad, the Chinese Sea Fleet's presence, and the security discussions between the US, Australia, India, and Japan have complicated efforts to maintain security and peace in the Indian Ocean. We have strong relationships with each of the Quad members as well as China, he added.

"The recently formed 'Aukus,' the agreement between Australia, the US, and the UK, has further exacerbated the rising level of competition between China and the Quad. Sri Lanka agrees with the ASEAN perspective on the Indo-Pacific region. We regard the Indo-Pacific as consisting of two distinct oceans. Our nation is dedicated to ensuring the safety of underwater cables and the freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, he said.

The President of Sri Lanka stated, "Therefore, it is imperative for Sri Lanka's future to ensure that the issues of the Asia Pacific, especially that of Taiwan, do not spill over into the Indian Ocean." He noted that Sri Lanka’s access to the burgeoning Indian market as well as the opening of African markets cannot be interrupted and should not be disrupted by strong power, rivalry or violence.

This is the narrative of a small country with a strong democratic heritage, an open economy, and a non-aligned position, emerging from the ashes of its former economy to create a new one that keeps pace with trends in the Asia-Pacific region and India. The President stressed that Sri Lanka’s role in building a new economy by collaborating with the development of the Asian region and India, moving away from the old economy.

The president of Sri Lanka proposed that the free trade agreement with India be upgraded to an agreement on economic cooperation and technical cooperation. He also expressed his willingness to sign an agreement with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the largest trade group in Asia, which would enable Sri Lanka to continue trading with the largest trade group in the world.

Except from a few tepid attempts, Wickremesinghe claimed that South Asia lacks economic integration and that there hasn't been any true political resolve to combine the region's economies into a potent trading bloc.

“It is further compounded by the sagging India-Pakistan relations. To progress forward then, Sri Lanka requires trade integration with several of its bordering countries.” The president said that the island nation in the Indian Ocean would convert its free trade deal with India into a technical and economic cooperation pact as a first step.

“This is essential. India is going to be the next growth centrE and it will trigger off growth in South Asia.. We are just 22 miles away and we have to strive especially to guarantee that the synergies of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu are brought together.

"Secondly, we would  like to reach a deal on the right to participate in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the biggest trade pact in Asia. But doing so will enable us to form the biggest trade bloc in history. And ultimately, as we go along, we would also wish to join the broad progressive Trade Agreement. With this, Sri Lanka would be integrated with the three largest trade blocs, India, RCEP and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP),” the President stated.

Answering to a query on the disputed China-run Port in southern Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe stressed that China cannot use the port for military objectives. He added, "I can't see a military use for it because the Chinese don't have the capability to have a significant number of warships in the Indian Ocean, to challenge India and the US." In relation to this port, "we have had regular meetings with the Americans as well as dealings with the Chinese," he stated.

“But looking at the arrangement at the ports that the Chinese are building in Africa and someplace in the Bay of Bengal, this would be certainly a crucial port as far as commercial operations are concerned. Wickremesinghe said of the port, which China developed and was leased for 99 years, "I think this will be one of the ports where the goods are assembled and reshipped to other destinations.

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