PM’s Office Says Modi Deeply Concerned Over Delays In Indian Projects: Sharply Contradicts Sirisena’s Official Statement

OCTOBER 20, 2018

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grave concerns over delays in implementation of joint projects agreed upon by Sri Lanka and India, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister’s Office announced today.

The statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office issued after the meeting between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Indian counterpart sharply contradicts the communique released by President Maithripala Sirisena’s Media Unit, on October 17.

The President’s statement did not refer to any concerns on the part of the Indian Prime Minister over delays in joint projects and went on to say that the Modi appreciate Sirisena’s effort to strengthen relations between the two countries.

The contradictions between the two statements, issued within a matter of two days, indicate the growing differences between the President and the Prime Minister leading the coalition government in Sri Lanka.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the Indian Prime Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the responses from the Sri Lankan government on several important projects initiated by the Indian government in Sri Lanka according to the MoU signed between the two countries, last year. This comes in the wake of The Hindu newspaper’s report on President Sirisena’s outburst at the last Cabinet meeting over the Indian involvement in the Colombo Port’s East Terminal project.

Modi, according to the statement, had urged the Sri Lankan government to discuss directly with him, if it had any doubts about the intentions of the Indian government or its leaders.

The Prime Minister’s Office also stated that Wickremesinghe expressed his regrets to Modi over any “misunderstanding” in Sri Lanka over the Indian-funded projects. It also said the Prime Minister also thanked Modi for his continued support and deep commitment to the progress of Sri Lanka.

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