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Katchatheevu is a matter settled, says Bogollagama

Chennai: Bilateral ties with India are “at the highest levels of trust, confidence and friendship,” Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama has said.

In a recent interview to The Hindu in Colombo, Mr. Bogollagama said: “We are extremely candid with India in relation to what we seek in terms of cooperation, and also how we look at our own conflict in Sri Lanka. That has been shown to India without any holdback areas. I am sure the Indian leadership has come to appreciate that. That is why they have reciprocated so well in terms of our bilateral relationship.”

“Continuous dialogue” at the bilateral level had “helped us to communicate better toward finding solutions effectively and towards sustaining our relationship at the highest level.”

India, Mr. Bogollagama said, had played a major part in the Sri Lankan political process, as evident in the Thirteenth Amendment based on the India-Sri Lanka Accord: “India will be always on board in terms of our relations.”

Sri Lanka recognised the Tamil Nadu factor in the conflict resolution process as “an important element” in relationship.

“It is important for us to understand and to respect the concerns getting expressed in matters in relation to the relationship proper, [and] with some of the sectoral connections that both sides are maintaining.”

Asked about the Katchatheevu issue, Mr. Bogollagama said: “Katchatheevu is a matter settled. As settled as much as Matara in the south of Sri Lanka to Sri Lanka. That’s how Sri Lanka views Katchatheevu. There is no issue. The fact that Katchatheevu is there in the northern part of Sri Lanka doesn’t mean anything. It is as much as a part of Sri Lanka in every sense of the word, so there is no further discussion needed on that.”

Indian fishermen faced problems, he said, when they crossed the maritime boundary. Pointing out that there was a ban on local fishermen in the island-nation’s northern seas, he said there was “a major demand” from the Sri Lankan fishermen to access these waters as the best of fish-catch can be had there.

“It is unfortunate that we are unable to service that because of the current movements in the northern sea. And, we should not also make it so accessible to fishermen outside Sri Lanka to get into these areas, because then it [means] not only losing the catch, but also it may leave room for terrorist movements to take cover under the fisheries presence. It is very wise to avoid such scenes. That is why the Sri Lankan Navy, along with the Indian Navy, and the Indian Coast Guard is working in a very coordinated manner to prevent this. We have been always keeping the Indian authorities informed of these developments.”

“We are very careful. We want to see that the best of protection is available for the Indian fishermen. Our Navy has become very conscious of that factor, and we should not allow third parties to play around in these sensitive matters that would ignite unnecessary situations.

“We are keeping a very close information and intelligence line between the sectors that matter, to prevent and to take remedial steps accordingly.”

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