President lauds Indian policy on terrorism

Lauding India’s long-standing policy on fighting terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that the Government was having regular interaction with New Delhi on the developments related to ethnic conflict.

“Bilateral relations between India and Sri Lanka have been growing from strength to strength over the years and we have welcomed India’s stand on fighting terrorism”, he told a small group of foreign journalists on the sidelines of the Pongal function on Saturday at his residence.

He said Sri Lanka is having regular interaction with India on the LTTE and ethnic conflict-related developments. On the recent observation of Indian External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, on Sri Lanka’s right to take action against terrorism, he said “Sri Lanka welcomes the stand.”

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, had recently termed the relations between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Sri Lankan President as the best ever since former Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s good equations with Lal Bahadur Shastri.

The Government, especially President Rajapaksa, has established a very good relationship with India during the last two year period, he had said. The Sirima-Shastri Pact signed in 1964 was an important milestone in Indo-Sri Lanka ties. Under it, Sri Lanka agreed to grant citizenship to 300,000 of Indian origin. PTI