President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has reportedly sought India’s assistance in bringing back 10 Sri Lankan organized crime figures and drug trafficking suspects currently in Indian custody.
The request was made during discussions with visiting Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was in Sri Lanka on an official two-day visit.
According to the discussions, the suspects had fled Sri Lanka and were subsequently arrested by Indian security authorities. President Dissanayake requested that Indian authorities take the necessary steps to facilitate their formal extradition to Sri Lanka so that legal proceedings can be pursued against them.
The President also raised the longstanding fisheries dispute between the two countries, calling for stronger measures to prevent Indian fishermen from illegally entering Sri Lankan territorial waters.
He stressed the need to protect Sri Lanka’s marine resources and address the damage caused to local fishing grounds by unauthorized fishing activities.
The fisheries issue has remained a sensitive matter in India-Sri Lanka relations, particularly for fishing communities on both sides of the Palk Strait. The two countries have periodically held discussions aimed at finding a lasting solution to the problem.
The discussions between President Dissanayake and Minister Singh also resulted in the signing of three bilateral agreements aimed at further strengthening defence cooperation.
According to Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, the agreements cover the maintenance and modernization of air-defence weapon systems, academic cooperation between the National Defence Colleges of India and Sri Lanka, and youth exchanges between the two countries’ National Cadet Corps.
The agreements are expected to further expand cooperation in defence training, institutional exchanges and technical support.
