The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister has already visited New Delhi and spoken to the External Affairs Minister and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who expressed his pleasure in the renewing relationships between the two countries. The new President of Sri Lanka and the Prime Minister of India are expected to visit each other in the near future.
In the wake of this rejuvenating and reinvigorating relationships between the two countries, it was revealed that Sri Lanka has 'expelled' the Colombo station chief of India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly plotting against former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 Presidential elections that eventually led to his defeat.Though a spokesperson for India's external affairs ministry denied expulsion and preferred to call it a 'routine decision', political and intelligence sources in both countries said otherwise. The sources said that in December last year, India was asked to recall the diplomat who allegedly was instrumental in encouraging the present Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena to quit Rajapaksa's cabinet and defect from the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP), sources said.The diplomat also played a pivotal role in putting up Sirisena as the joint opposition candidate, reports added. A December 28 report in Sri Lanka's Sunday Times newspaper also said that the agent lost his job in Colombo due to his "links with the common opposition."The diplomat was also accused of convincing former prime minister Ranil Wickremasinghe not to enter the fray and instead support somebody who stood a good chance of defeating Rajapaksa, said an Indian official and a Sri Lankan lawmaker. The diplomat was also keeping touch with the country's former president Chandrika Kumaratunga."They actively were involved, talking to Ranil, getting those things organised, talking to Chandrika," the lawmaker said and confirmed that the RAW diplomat was asked to leave. Wickremasinghe's spokesperson said that he met the diplomat's "two or three times" but was probably not aware of the real identity. RAW officers are given diplomatic cover during their overseas assignments to enjoy immunity.Rajapaksa preferred not to comment on RAW's role in his defeat and said "won't suspect anybody until I get my real facts. There are certain things you don't talk about... there were clear signs of a deep campaign by foreign elements," said a close associate of the Rajapaksa family.Rajapaksa's China tilt irked IndiaAnalysts attribute India's manoeuvres against Rajapaksa's pro-China stance and India's perceived security concerns. An Indian official said that matters reaching a flashpoint when Sri Lanka allowed Chinese submarines to dock in Sri Lankan waters twice last year without informing India, in violation of an agreed maritime pact. "The turning point in the relationship was the submarines. There was real anger," the Indian security official said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also raised the issue with Rajapaksa at a meeting in New York.India moves quicklyIndia's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Y K Sinha met Sirisena to greet him after the results were announced on 9th January, indicating signs of shifting allegiances. It is worth highlighting that the China's ambassador was only able to meet the new president six days later. Sirisena has already said that India is the first, main concern "of his foreign policy and that his first foreign visit next month will be to his country's largest neighbour in South Asia.”New govt to restore friendly ties with IndiaStressing that the ports being developed by Chinese firms will be “reviewed”, visiting Sri Lankan Foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera said the Indo-Lanka relations got “reversed” in recent years and the new government under Sirisena is making “immediate efforts” to bring it back on track.Samaraweera, who met with select group of journalists in New Delhi said, “It was often said in the past that Sri Lanka-India ties were ‘excellent and irreversible’. But they got reversed in recent years… hence the immediate effort now.” His visit, he said, demonstrated the importance the new government attaches to “restoring” friendly ties with India.Describing his talks with India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “very warm” and “cordial”, he confirmed the calendar of visits. While Swaraj is expected to visit Colombo shortly and chair the joint commission meeting, Sirisena is likely to visit India next month. He said Modi has accepted the invitation to visit Lanka and will be the first bilateral State visit since 1987 when Rajiv Gandhi came to Colombo. “It is likely (to take place) in March.”Discussing the Sri Lanka elections, he said, “They were like the Arab Spring; but political transformation without violence; and discarded an emerging dictatorship. This is the Burma moment for Lanka’s democracy. After many years, we have a government today that does not belong to any one community or religion. The transition was not entirely smooth, thanks to the army, the police and the attorney general, danger was averted.”Describing the 100-day agenda, he said “process has begun to end the executive presidency. The world needs to rally around the new government with support,” he said. Responding to a question on coup, he said, “Yes, there was fear of a coup.” On human rights violations, he said, “We will investigate; our focus is to initiate a domestic investigation; not against an international one; the international investigation was brought upon by the previous govt by refusing to take the necessary steps at home.”“We are not doing this to please any one, we owe it to the people who suffered to establish the truth…not for vengeance, but healing.” He said the new government is eager to begin rehabilitation in the north and restore lands to the original owners. On the issue of 13th amendment, he said the government would take up all related issues after the general elections. “There is no need to invent the wheel… many proposals have been debated before… what we need is the will to find a political settlement”.He said “India is not pressing us to anything that is not in our interest”. He met with Modi, who expressed hope that the poll victory of Sirisena will advance peace, reconciliation and development in Sri Lanka as well as the region and pledged India’s continued support to the close neighbour and “friend”.
