There has been no pressure whatsoever from India regarding solving issues faced by Tamils in Sri Lanka’s northern provinces, says Foreign Minister GL Peiris, who is currently on a three-day visit to India. Speaking to StratNews Global Editor-in-Chief Nitin A. Gokhale shortly after landing here, Peiris explained that the problem was more due to ‘inherent institutional shortcomings’ that need to be addressed. “There is no hostility at the grassroots level. That makes us believe that it is by no means an intractable problem,” he added. In this interview, Peiris also talks about the state of the economy and the island nation’s relationship with China.
He said the India-Sri Lanka relationship is no longer transactional since it covers very much the entire spectrum.’
‘The key to the future is connectivity in different sectors, not only physical connectivity. It’s a win-win situation for both countries.
‘It would be enormously beneficial if Sri Lanka could have electricity grid connectivity with India,” he said.
