NSA Ajit Doval Meets Sri Lankan PM Dinesh Gunawardena

Colombo, August 30: National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval emphasized the potential for India and Sri Lanka to further strengthen their economic cooperation, citing the complementarity in bilateral ties as a key factor. He made these remarks during a meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena at the Prime Minister's Office in Colombo on August 29.

During the discussion, NSA Doval expressed India's interest in expanding collaboration with Sri Lanka across various sectors and sought the Prime Minister's views on priority areas for cooperation. He highlighted the mutual benefits of enhancing economic ties and underscored India's willingness to support Sri Lanka's development initiatives.

Prime Minister Gunawardena identified the energy sector as a key area for increased cooperation, thanking India for its assistance in both large and small-scale alternative energy projects. He informed NSA Doval that Sri Lanka is amending its Ceylon Electricity Board regulations to facilitate greater private sector involvement in electricity generation and distribution, inviting more Indian investments in solar and wind power projects.

NSA Doval noted that Sri Lanka has the potential to generate surplus energy in the long term, suggesting that the island nation could sell excess power to India, thereby reaping significant financial benefits. Drawing a parallel, he pointed out Bhutan’s successful model of exporting hydroelectric power to India, which has become the largest source of revenue for the Himalayan nation.

Prime Minister Gunawardena also spoke of Sri Lanka's Theravada economic policy, which he described as being rooted in the economic practices of ancient India during the time of Gautama Buddha. He emphasized that this policy aligns with modern principles of economic growth and complements the collaborative efforts between the two countries.

The Sri Lankan leader also expressed his gratitude to India for providing training to the country's armed forces and public servants, enhancing their skills and efficiency.

The meeting was attended by a high-level Indian delegation led by NSA Doval, which included Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha, Additional Secretary Puneet Agrawal, and senior officials Akshay Joshi, Gaurav Aluwhalia, and Teja Chandan. On the Sri Lankan side, the discussion included Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake, Additional Secretary Harsha Wijewardene, and Advisor Sugeeswara Senadhira.