As Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his arm around the Sri Lankan President, he assured the President and the world of India’s continuing role as the big protector for the island nation. The new Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in return thanked India for the economic support provided by New Delhi during the nation’s financial meltdown as well as for the crucial assistance in restructuring its bilateral debt. Dissanayake is on his first overseas visit after being elected President in September. His meet with Prime Minister Modi signifies his priority stance towards India and is another showcase of India’s powerful foreign policy.

After Anura Dissanayake was elected President of Sri Lanka many analysts and media houses had dubbed it as a victory of China. They had put forth the assumptions that Dissanayake is the leader of a left leaning party and his proposed policies are likewise. The speculation was that once Dissanayake will take charge he will lean aggressively towards China, while distancing from New Delhi. Naysayers had began declaring it as a failure of India’s foreign policy and a massive loss in the neighbourhood. But once again Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team have shown that their grip on international geopolitics is beyond the grasp of negative detractors.

The meeting

The two leaders held a bilateral meeting at Hyderabad House, where Dissanayake expressed gratitude to India for helping Sri Lanka during its “unprecedented economic crisis” two years ago. PM Modi said India had supported Lanka through lines of credit and grants worth about USD 4 billion.

“We faced an unprecedented economic crisis some 2 years ago and India supported us immensely to come out of that quagmire. It has also helped us immensely after that, especially in the debt-free structuring process,” said Dissanayake, noting that his country secures a very significant place in India’s foreign policy.

The Sri Lankan president also assured that his country will not allow its territory to be used in “any manner” that is detrimental to India’s interest. He also affirmed that he has been backed by the Indian Prime Minister who has asserted that New Delhi will give its ‘big brotherly’ protection to the island nation. “PM Modi assured us full support and he also assured us that he will always protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. The cooperation with India will certainly flourish and I want to reassure our continued support for India.” Dissanayake said.

Prime Minister Modi announces projects

PM Modi said that India will soon finalise a defence cooperation agreement with Sri Lanka. “Cooperation on hydrography has also been agreed upon. We believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development. Under this, cooperation will be enhanced on topics like maritime security, counter terrorism, cyber-security, fight against smuggling and organised crime, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” he added.

Issuing a joint press statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s bilateral projects in Sri Lanka is “always” based on Colombo’s “development priorities”. He also informed that the leaders discussed “reconciliation and reconstruction” in the neighbouring country.

Apart from the discussions PM Modi also announced new projects including assistance for the rehabilitation of the signaling system at the Maho-Anuradhapura railway section and Kankesanthurai Port. He also assured monthly scholarships to 200 students in the universities of Jaffna and Eastern Province. In the next 5 years, India will also train 1500 civil servants from Sri Lanka.

“Along with housing, renewable energy and infrastructure, India will also cooperate for the development of agriculture, dairy and fisheries in Sri Lanka. India will also participate in the unique digital identity project in Sri Lanka,” PM Modi added.

The China angle

While many analysts and experts have been spreading doom and gloom that China is finalizing a ‘string of pearls’ strategy around India, looking to strangle the nation. The ouster of the Rajapaksa family was shown as a major blow for New Delhi and it was said that China had succeeded in supplanting an India leaning leadership for one of its own. Dissanayake was heralded by left leaning mouthpieces as an ideological leftist inspired by the Communist Party of China. However in one of first address after winning the election Dissanayake indicated that he hoped for a good relationship with New Delhi.

Now the Sri Lankan leader has chosen India for his first foreign visit, not China or any other nation. He also thanked India for bailing the island nation out of its financial woes, a move that was harshly criticized back home. But in the end the master geopolitics of India and PM Modi has shone through. Not only is the Chinese angle looking weak, it is also clear that Dissanayake has chosen to keep Sri Lanka’s relationship with India as the foremost priority. His words echo the policy of most Sri Lankan leaders who understand that cultivating animosity with India in the region is grounds for self destruction, much like Maldives. In the meantime Prime Minister Modi has pulled off another one of his masterstrokes, getting the new Sri Lankan President under his wing, while assuring that India will continue to be the central figure in the Indian Ocean, and once again to never underestimate the geopolitical prowess of the experienced Indian leadership.