India-Sri Lanka to resume talks on fishermen issue next month

Talks on the issue of trespassing and poaching by fishermen between India and Sri Lanka will resume next month.

According to the Secretary of the Sri Lanka Fisheries Ministry, Narendra Rajapaksa, the representatives of fishermen of both countries will meet in Colombo on May 13 and 14.

While another meeting between the officials is likely in New Delhi before that date.

Sri Lanka's Fisheries Ministry has written to the Indian Agriculture Ministry seeking a meeting of top officials in New Delhi to discuss the roadmap for the fishermen meet and exchange ideas on ways to carry the dialogue forward.

The meeting of the fishermen's representatives which was scheduled for March was postponed after Sri Lanka arrested several Indian fishermen on charges of trespassing into Sri Lankan waters.

Later, Sri Lanka had released all Indian fishermen and their boats in its custody as a goodwill gesture following India's abstention at UNHRC in Geneva last month.

This has paved way for the possibility of next round of talks to sort out the pending issues.