Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka : News & DIscussions
- Thread starter RISING SUN
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India fine-tuning proposal to supply fertilisers worth $55 million to Sri Lanka
Last week while speaking with a group of irrigation officials on the next harvesting season's requirements, Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had assured him of fertiliser supplies.
China clears air; Praises India for helping Sri Lanka
China has praised India for helping Sri Lanka at a time of crisis in what appeared to be a move to deflect growing theories that China is peeved that Sri Lanka is moving away from China’s orbit and closer to the pro-West axis spearheaded by India in this part of the world.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian this week told the media in Beijing that China had commended India for its efforts to mitigate the crisis in Sri Lanka.
He said China was ready to work with India and the rest of the international community to help Sri Lanka and other countries pull through the debt crisis they faced, referring to several other countries facing issues in paying back loans taken following the COVID-19 and global recession. The West was blaming China for giving several countries loans for development projects–loans which those recipient countries now found difficult to pay back.
Cynics say China may be peeved it had been out manoeuvered in Sri Lanka by India in the geopolitical games played out in the Indian Ocean region and therefore opted to show it was in it together with India to help Sri Lanka, and not competing. Others say that perhaps it was an uncharitable assessment of China’s genuine desire to help an old friend in Sri Lanka.
A US$ 1.5 billion Chinese credit line and another US$ one billion loan from China to Sri Lanka remain in the pipeline.
In a separate development, India was running into issues with the West over doing business with Russia, and analysts believed it was veering back to the ‘middle path’ as a result. Its Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar last week referred to the duplicity of the West in buying Russian gas but objecting to India buying Russian fuel. On June 3 he asked the West to keep out of Indo-China relations.
“We have a difficult relationship with China. We are perfectly capable of managing it. If I get global understanding and support, obviously, it will also help. But this idea that I do a transaction, I come in conflict one because it will help in conflict two, that is not how the world works,” he said. He also said India’s issues with China had nothing to do with Russia.
Minister Jaishankar’s soft approach towards China may not please hardcore ruling Hindutva Baratha Janatha Party (BJP) members who see China as a natural enemy. With a trade volume of 125 billion annually and 55 per cent of its external trade passing through the South China sea, clearly relations with China are not to be trifled with.
China clears air; Praises India for helping Sri Lanka
Small nations around India will never ever be actually stable over a long period of time. It's just not possible. Even in the eye of the storm India is stable because of its size. If the states of India were to be independent half of them would have went Srilanka way a decade ago. But when the states are united, the basics are always fulfilled. Any big foreign blow is absorbed over a large population and it's never a matter of actually life or death.
Bhutan, Nepal, Srilanka and Maldives will not thrive alone in the long run. We need a national action plan to integrate these Territories into the country.
Bhutan, Nepal, Srilanka and Maldives will not thrive alone in the long run. We need a national action plan to integrate these Territories into the country.
Video: Suitcases Loaded On Sri Lanka Navy Ship As President Flees
Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence today as thousands of anti-government protesters today stormed into his residence demanding his resignation.
www.ndtv.com
India gave unprecedented support of $3.8 bn this year to Sri Lanka: MEA
In its first reaction to the massive political turmoil in Colombo, India on Sunday said it stands with the Sri Lankan people in their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means, established institutions and constitutional framework.The comments by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came a day after thousands of angry protesters stormed embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's official residence and set Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's private house on fire, in the culmination of months of agitation over the ongoing economic crisis.
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India continues to closely follow the developments in Sri Lanka and that it is aware of the many challenges that the country and its people have been facing.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday announced that he will resign. Prime Minister Wickremesinghe also said that he will step down after a new government is formed.
"India is Sri Lanka's closest neighbour and our two countries share deep civilizational bonds. We are aware of the many challenges that Sri Lanka and its people have been facing, and we have stood with the Sri Lankan people as they have tried to overcome this difficult period," Bagchi said.
The MEA spokesperson noted that India stands with the people of Sri Lanka.
"India stands with the people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realise their aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means and values, established institutions and constitutional framework," he said.
In responding to media queries on the situation in Sri Lanka, Bagchi also referred to India's financial assistance to the island nation this year.
"In pursuance of the central place that Sri Lanka occupies in our Neighbourhood First policy, India has extended this year itself an unprecedented support of over USD 3.8 billion for ameliorating the serious economic situation in Sri Lanka," he said.
The island nation is reeling under severe shortages of food, fuel and medicines in the last few months as the economic crisis deteriorated.
As the economic crisis worsened, Sri Lanka witnessed massive street protests in the last months and the public anger led almost all the cabinet ministers to quit the government.
President Rajapaksa appointed Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister in May to deal with the situation.
There were growing calls for resignation by Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, he had rejected the demand earlier.
India gave unprecedented support of $3.8 bn this year to Sri Lanka: MEA
India stands with people of Sri Lanka as they seek to realise aspirations for prosperity and progress through democratic means, values, says Ministry of External Affairs
Its not got to do with how big the state is but how good the ppl are. If you are assumption is correct then china & India would should have never fallen into foreign hands. Other thing you fail to mention that most of the Indian states not smaller they are nearly comparable to european countries in size.
As for your example, nepal or bhutan has never been colonized even though their external affairs have been dictated by surrounding country. Its only the british who dictated foreign affairs while India was not even in picture before 1947.
Its not the size of the dog but the size of the fight you can put up.
Right now Bhutan and Nepal are necessary as buffer states. Unless Tibet becomes free. Fat chance.
Maldives will go under water due to global warming. But if the islands resurface again, it will belong to India because we will become the new home to their population.
This is the best time to incorporate Lanka into India, but I doubt GoI has any such plans.
Small states around a big power will never be stable because other big powers will interfere.
Some one else will simply take opportunity of it. And Indians will be mere spectators.
GoI is also scared how to provide jobs to Lankans if they become part of India. And will they mix with Tamilians?
So no way, lot of administrative babu file stamp and chai biscuit issues.
(Abhi to netaji meeting baithyenge, samose bikenge, badi badi batein hongi.. 5 star lounges mein.)
We just lost 60sq km to China in ladakh and you are talking about making these sovereign nations part of India? Control your people first who only talk big and do nothing.
To add to the point I wrote, I would say that with globalisation already done, when we are looking at de globalisation once again , the states need to be together.
For the comparison with the China, they got a different set of rules. Currency instability, food supply issues, fuel issues, social instability, employment issues, fiscal imbalance... These are not the issues they face. These are the issues the smaller states around India face.
And a solution for that is to have their economy and supply chains fully integrated with rest of states of India.
I never said anything about the dog being able to fight. But the dogs need to be in a pack today if they want a chance at survival.
I hoped we would be doing much more to make these countries dependent on the different states of India rather than on trade with EU or China.
That part is sadly true. But my hope rests on more and more citizens of the country slowly realising what needs to be done ...
Till I am alive, I will be disappointed again and again by the society we live in, but to totally give up the hope for betterment. That's not done.
gud luck, current govt is only interested in taking over west bengal. If we could get an alternate route to NE through sea from myanmar that itself would be great.
Theoretically speaking yes, which assumes that big state (territory & population) is powerful than the small state, but that is not always the case. china should have taken over japan or korea, that dint happen. Israel ?
china & India are strong today but it was not the case before 1950, all these issues plagued both the countries before. Even when India had large kingdoms ( or chinese empires) they still faced these issues. These are more less due to less development , immature system which cannot handle these issues. To basically put ppl cannot think beyond that day.
The advancement in system/society to tackle and handle complex long term issues comes from long term strategic thinking which in turn is dependent on how a state & its ppl think about itself. Some of issues mentioned by you dont happen or less in India due to our planning & implementation in first 25-30 years using 5 year plans where we spent time developing infra, bureaucracy , democratic process....etc.
Even african states are bigger like congo, nigeria, algeria, sudan but that does not mean they dont have these issues. There are european states are which are even more smaller luxembourg or switzerland. Nearer in middle east, kuwait, qatar are smaller than yemen or oman.
Bottom line its the ppl , country size might have effect when starting out from scratch (resources required) but once it is developed their state is more dictated by the quality of ppl.
thats true, integrating with a larger state will certainly provide more market opportunities for buying & selling. A small state like sri lanka might initially lose out on some common products , but if they manage to get miniscule 1 or 2 % share of Indian market either in services or sectors like tourism will have an outsized impact for them. That has been the case with bangladesh where they have benefited immensely due to friendly visa regime enabling most of the goods & services to flow freely.
if you have dogs which only bark but dont bite
(like Middle east) yeah they will exist for benefit of others. You need to be like dogs that can or will bite, like west/Nato. you need atleast one bloody dog to take fight to opposition camp to put fear of retaliation, just being a pack is nothing but like flock of sheep destined to slaughter sooner or later. Numbers simply dont matter capability matters.Most of our dogs are like,
We can't replace China in world trade yet. Hopefully the ball gets rolling some day.