NEW DELHI, Aug. 4 (ANI) — Relations with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh remain among the most important issues in India’s neighborhood foreign policy, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Chairperson Shashi Tharoor said Tuesday, noting that the panel had already received briefings from subject experts, including former diplomats to Sri Lanka, earlier this year.
The committee met Tuesday to hear presentations from representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs on the topic, “India-Sri Lanka Relations and the Way Ahead.”
Speaking after the meeting, Tharoor, a Congress MP and former Union minister, said the committee would now begin preparing a draft report, which would later be finalized and submitted to Parliament.
“We have been considering the question of India-Sri Lanka relations throughout this committee’s tenure, and we had already received a briefing by the Foreign Secretary last year and a briefing with subject experts, including former diplomats to Sri Lanka, earlier this year. This was the concluding consideration of detailed questions, along with updates on various developments in the Sri Lanka relationship since the last few meetings. After this, there will be no further meetings,” Tharoor said.
“The Secretariat will be invited to start drafting a report, which will then be agreed upon and submitted to Parliament. There are four pending reports that need to be drafted. Once they are completed, meetings will be held to adopt the reports. Relations with Sri Lanka and relations with Bangladesh are among the top important issues in India’s neighborhood foreign policy. The committee is taking all issues and concerns seriously,” he added.
Responding to a question about Pakistan, Tharoor said the committee did not take up the issue because it had recently completed a report on the country.
“It will come up in future sessions. The Foreign Secretary will continue to brief the committee on important developments regarding Pakistan, but it is not a subject for a report right now, as the existing report remains valid. Similarly, there is no new report on China, as the existing report is still valid,” he said. (ANI)
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