Kachchativu, a settled matter - G L

Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige

The Indian government has not made any claim on Kachchativu Islands and both Sri Lankan and Indian governments consider this issue as a settled matter, said External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris in Parliament yesterday.

He observed that the 1974 agreement signed between the two governments formally confirmed Sri Lanka's sovereignty over Kachchativu island.

Prof Peiris quoting a statement made by his Indian counterpart SM Krishna in the Lok Sabha on August 26, pointed out that the Indian government accepts that the Kachchativu island lies on the Sri Lankan side of the Maritime boundary and considers it as a settled matter.

The minister was responding to a question raised by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake.

The minister observed that there is no controversy or issue with regard to the Kachchativu island between the two governments. He noted that very cordial and intimate relations exist between the two countries.

Responding to a supplementary question of UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake, the minister stated that Sri Lanka has equal cordial relations with China and both India and China are tried and tested trends of our country.

He also said that no minister of the Indian government has raised a matter with regard to Sri Lanka's economic ties with China, and requested Karunanayaka not to create problems which do not exist at all.