‘‘PM Modi will come with important political, strategic messages’’: Indrani Bagchi
Ms. Indrani Bagchi, Chief Executive Officer of India’s Ananta Aspen Centre, in an interview with Daily Mirror speaks about its India-Sri Lankan bilateral ties. She was Associate Editor with The Times of India, where she reported and analysed foreign policy issues for the newspaper from 2004 until 2022. As Diplomatic Editor, Indrani covered the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on her news beat, as well as interpreted and analysed global trends with an Indian perspective. Earlier, Indrani worked with India Today, a premier news magazine, The Economic Times and The Statesman. She graduated from Loreto College, Calcutta University with English honours. Indrani was a Reuters Fellow at Oxford University in 1997. In 2010, Indrani was awarded the Chang Lin-Tien fellowship by the Asia Foundation to study US-China relations at Brookings Institution, Washington DC. She is a Fellow of the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship Class 3 of the Ananta Aspen Centre and a member of Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit will help develop bilateral ties
There is a great interest in India to work much more closely with Sri Lanka
Q:The visit happens at a critical juncture. The two countries are talking about a lot of connectivity projects and integration of the two economies. How productive will this visit be?
Well, we hope that it will be very productive because there is a great interest in India to work much more closely with Sri Lanka. We have a long history together with civilisational links. We have very strong economic links. We are in the same geography. We believe that we can be the best development partner for Sri Lanka.
Q:Sri Lanka as a country seeks to follow what it calls non-aligned foreign policy. It seeks to enhance ties with other power sources- China and all. In that sense, when you say the best partner for development, what does it mean?
Non-alignment is a dead concept. Once the Cold War ended, non-alignment also ended. When I say non-alignment, it means Sri Lanka seeking ties with many others too?
I don’t think India has ever stopped any of its partners from seeking other partners. We have our security interests. We have our strategic interests. Those are sacrosanct. But if you have to have commercial relationships with other partners, I don’t think India has ever gotten in the way. But if there is something in Sri Lanka that impacts India’s security or India’s strategic interests, India will react. India will not let that go unchallenged. As I go back to the development partnership, I think it was India that, in the most recent instance, helped Sri Lanka with an infusion that actually kept Sri Lanka from going down. That was when your principal partner China refused to do that. I think Sri Lanka should ask itself that question. Who is my best development partner? That if I am in an emergency situation, who comes to my assistance?
Q:Sri Lanka is your closest maritime neighbour. We are facing this tricky issue involving Chinese research vessels. What China says that these are maritime research vessels, not forcing any security threat to any external party? But India believes otherwise. How can Sri Lanka deal with the problem then?
That is something that Sri Lanka will have to weigh. We have serious objections to Chinese research vessels because we believe they have other intentions and not benign intentions, particularly regarding India. Therefore, there will be a challenge by India every time.
Q:When you look at India’s relationship with neighbouring countries, what is unique about Sri Lanka?
I think the uniqueness of Sri Lanka is history. There is a long history between India and Sri Lanka that goes back centuries. There is a long civilisational, cultural connection. You are sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean. That is a completely unique place. So, geographically, you have a very special place.
Q:Your former National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, in his book, referred to Sri Lanka as a permanent aircraft carrier. Do you also subscribe to that view point?
It’s not an aircraft carrier, and it shouldn’t be one.
Q:How do you see Sri Lanka’s relevance from a security perspective?
It’s not a question of being unique. It is a question of how Sri Lanka’s position is impacting or affecting its own security future
Q:How will this visit contribute to the enhancement of bilateral ties?
I think the visit is going to be very important.
It’s the first visit with the new government. We will be reaffirming, not just the old ties, but reaffirming our interest in helping Sri Lanka overcome whatever crisis it is in economically. We will be signaling our interest in helping Sri Lanka economically. We will be expressing our interest in Sri Lanka’s long-term future.
I think there will be a lot of very important political and strategic messages from the Prime Minister.
Q:What will be the future of those connectivity projects?
Honestly, for Sri Lanka, it should be a no-brainer to be connecting to the Indian grid. People get electricity without a problem. It’s much easier then. It’s something for Sri Lanka to decide. But it’s something that India has proposed for a long time. It’s been in the works for a while. I think it makes complete sense. So, it’s good for everybody concerned.
Q:There has been a long-standing proposal that Sri Lanka should increase its presence in India. What is your view?
I don’t know whether a small country like Sri Lanka needs to have so many missions. But a country like Sri Lanka should maximize its integration with the Indian economy. That is much more important. If you plug into the Indian economy-the Indian growth story- it is an easy ride for Sri Lanka. India has offered that you integrate with the Indian economy.
It is not a problem. Your opportunities go up exponentially.
Q:In that sense, is the signing of the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) very important?
Yes. But I am not sure it is going to be signed this time. But you don’t need that agreement to still work with the Indian economy. There are so many sectors which are of importance to Sri Lanka, like tourism, hospitality etc. You can do that even without the ETCA or even before the ETCA is signed.
Q:What are your suggestions, proposals, or insights about the promotion of bilateral ties?
I think my biggest proposal would be that Sri Lanka should not look at this way – let me balance India with China, or let me balance China with America.
This is not a game Sri Lanka should get into. You should look at the map. You are situated next door. If there is a need tomorrow, there will be only India coming to you. You have to look at the complementarities.
Are you looking at China to just give you money, like, and acquire strategic places in your country- Hambantota Port, which is now being used, and will be used for both civil and military use.
Is that comfortable in Sri Lanka? If India did that, Sri Lanka would have thrown a fit. You have made yourself vulnerable to Chinese military presence.
When you make a choice, there are long-term implications for that choice.
Q:Is it a problem for you to have a port controlled by a Chinese company in the southern tip of Sri Lanka?
It’s a problem for everybody in the region.
But anyway, that is a done deal. It is difficult for anyone to undo that deal now because it is in progress. Is that the very reason for India to seek to invest in the development of Kankesanthurai Port in the north?
India’s investment in Sri Lanka predates Hambantota. Hambantota was given to the Chinese in 2009. It was not that India was missing in Sri Lanka before Hambantota came in. Indian interests in Sri Lanka remained the same before and after. Our logic is the same. The interest remains the same.
Sri Lanka has not gone anywhere. You are still stuck in the Indian Ocean. We are still stuck where we are.
Q:Before China came in, Sri Lankan leaders then approached India for the development of the Hambantota Port. But you did not come?
At that time it made no sense to India. If India was doing the same thing that China is doing, there would be protests in Sri Lanka, right? That India is taking over Sri Lanka.
You have never said that about China, but you would have said that about India.
Q:Do you regret that India failed to invest in Hambantota?
You know, in the 50s, we were offered the Gwadar Port which is in Pakistan.
We could not afford to take it. Today, we look at Gwadar, which is a major port being operated by the Chinese.
Do we regret it? Maybe, but we didn’t have the ability to take it.
Q:How important is it from India’s strategic point of view to develop the Kankesanthurai Port?
I think it is vital for Sri Lanka. It is in Sri Lanka. It is Sri Lanka’s port. It will improve connectivity. Sri Lanka should look at and think about its own future.
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