No nation will be able to use Sri Lanka against India

Assurance of the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremeesinghe

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe

Colombo (Sri Lanka) – China and Sri Lanka have a strong relationship with each other, yet I say that we have no military base in China and will never have. No nation will be able to use Sri Lanka against India, stated Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe before commencing his tour to Britain and France. He also assured that they would not make any military contract with China. Wickremesinghe, who was on an official visit to the UK and France, made the comments during an interview with France’s state media on Monday.

In an interview with France24, Wickremesinghe said, “We are a neutral country, but we also emphasise the fact that we cannot allow Sri Lanka to be used as a base for any threats against India.” Responding to a question about China’s perceived military presence in Sri Lanka, the president said that the Chinese have been in the country for about “1500 years and, so far, there has been no military base”.

Wickremesinghe asserted that the island nation has no military agreement with China and said, “There won’t be any military agreements. I don’t think China will enter into one.” The president said there were no issues of military use by the Chinese of the southern port of Hambantota, which Beijing took over on a 99-year lease as a debt swap in 2017. He assured that even though the Hambantota harbour has been given out to China’s Merchants, its security is controlled by the Sri Lankan Government.

(Credit : France 24)

He stated that they had gone through a very critical financial crisis, but the situation had improved. Along with India, many nations helped them to come out of crisis. He also showed confidence in reviving the status of Sri Lanka’s financial condition soon.