Indian HC tosses diplomacy to the wind

Indian High Commissioner Y.K. Sinha yesterday castigated the Joint Opposition for on-going protests against the proposed Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA). Sinha also expressed disappointment and surprise at the role played by former President and Kurunegala District MP Mahinda Rajapaksa in the growing protest campaign. The Indian High Commissioner was addressing a workshop on ‘non-tariff measures and increasing awareness on Indian standards and regulations under Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA)’.

The Indian High Commission refrained from responding to Joint Opposition criticism until yesterday. Sinha strongly criticised former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris for constantly attacking ETCA. The Indian HC said Prof. Peiris should have stuck to law and not got into politics. The Indian diplomat asserted that Prof. Peiris had changed his stance on bilateral partnerships having previously supported such arrangements. Sinha went to the extent of pointing out that Prof. Peiris attacked proposed ECTA between India and Sri Lanka while regularly seeking spiritual sustenance in India. Commenting on former President Rajapaksa’s criticism of the pact, Sinha claimed that Rajapaksa had backed CEPA during 2005 to 2008 though he subsequently changed his stand due to domestic pressure. Sinha said he had been amused by the antics of the Joint Opposition. Dismissing continuing protests against the Indian sponsored ambulance service, Sinha said that it was Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s idea. The HC emphasised that India hadn’t initiated the move and the project got underway due to Premier Wickremesinghe’s request to Indian PM Narendra Modi. Yesterday’s event was organised by the Department of Commerce, under the patronage of the Ministry of development strategies and International Trade in collaboration with the Indian High Commission. A senior spokesperson said that the workshop was meant to improve the awareness of the exporter community on the non-tariff measures and the Indian Standards and Regulations applicable to Sri Lankan exports. Indian delegation at the event comprised officials from the Bureau of Indian Standards, Central Board of Excise & Customs, Food Safety Standards Authority of India and Directorate General of Foreign Trade Currently, Sri Lanka exports US $ 0.6 bn. worth of goods to India while imports more than US $ 4 bn. worth of Indian goods.