India-Lanka talks focused on people-to-people contacts, visa on arrival: Jaishankar

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar on Friday said that people-to-people discussions and visa on arrival facility for Sri Lankans were among the prominent matters discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Colombo.

"There was a lot of discussion on people-to-people discussions. The Prime Minister announced visa on arrival facility for Sri Lankans. We signed two agreements on youth affairs and an auditorium for the Ruhuna University. We hope that direct flights from Air India start," Jaishankar said at a press briefing here.

"There was some discussion about resumption of ferries. There's a ferry service from Colombo to Tuticorin, which was suspended essentially on viability issues. And then there is a historical one between Tailamanar and Raneswaram which has some physical challenges which need to be addressed," he added.

The Foreign Secretary said Prime Minister Modi spoke about the huge interest in India on the Ramyana trail and our commitment to have a festival of India and Sri Lanka.

"We signed a customs agreement which would facilitate business cooperation but in addition PM referred to our interest in developing a pharmaceutical SEZ," he added.

Jaishankar said talks also included the India-Sri Lanka-Maldives triangle and there was interest in both sides on how to do more on the triangle.

"There wasn't a specific discussion of the situation in the Maldives but the India-Sri Lanka-Maldives triangle came up in discussions. There was interest in both sides on how to do more on the triangle and in Seychelles and Mauritius also we raised the possibility of those two countries considering the possibility of joining the triangle," he said.

Jaishankar was interacting with Indian and Sri Lankan media after both sides had inked four agreements, including on visa, customs, youth development and building a Rabindranath Tagore memorial in Sri Lanka.

Strengthening of bilateral economic relations between India and Sri Lanka dominated the discussions between Prime Minister Modi and President Maithripala in Colombo.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi said India being one of Sri Lanka's closest neighbours, there should be more frequent engagements between both nations so that they can understand each other's problems.

He emphasized the need for stronger economic cooperation and said that he was also aware of Colombo's concerns about trade with India.

The delegation-level talks also included forward movement in several areas, including cooperation in the petroleum sector, with the setting up of a regional petroleum hub in Trincomalee.

At a joint press conference with President Maithripala Sirisena, Modi said the pact on cooperation between customs authorities will simplify trade and reduce non-tariff barriers on both sides.

He said that India will help in to early commencement of work of Sampur Coal Power Project. He said this landmark project would meet Sri Lanka's energy needs. Underlining ocean economy as a priority for both the countries, Modi said that it holds enormous promise for both nations. He said that the decision to set up a joint task force on ocean economy is a significant step, especially due to the proximity between India and Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister said the facility of providing a tourist visa on arrival and electronic travel authorization scheme to Sri Lankan citizens from the Sinhala and Tamil New Year on the 14th of April this year, will encourage people-to-people contacts, improve connectivity, and increase tourism.

He also announced that Air India will soon start direct flights between New Delhi and Colombo and India will cooperate in developing a Ramayana Trail in Sri Lanka and a Buddhist Circuit in India.

He said India will organize a Festival of India in Sri Lanka later this year.

Modi also said that the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka have agreed to enter into a Currency Swap Agreement of 1.5 billion dollar to help keep the Sri Lankan rupee stable.

Prime Minister Modi is presently in Sri Lanka on the third and final leg of his five-day three-nation tour. He is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Sri Lanka in 28 years.