Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 9 (ANI): Emphasising the deep civilisational and strategic ties between the two nations, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday stated that India and Sri Lanka must work together to address fisheries disputes in a mutually beneficial manner, keeping relevant laws and geographic jurisdictions in view.
Speaking at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence in Colombo on 'India-Sri Lanka Maritime Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region' as part of his three-day visit, Singh acknowledged the challenges faced by fishermen from both sides.
He underscored that fisheries issues must be handled with due care and concern since they directly impact livelihoods, while simultaneously ensuring strict maritime law enforcement.
"I am aware of the challenges faced by fishermen of the two countries. We need to work together to address fisheries disputes in a mutually beneficial manner, keeping in view the relevant laws and geographic jurisdictions. We need to work together to strengthen our systems to avoid fisheries disputes, handle them with due care and concern, as this is a livelihood issue, while at the same time ensuring maritime law enforcement," Singh said.
Highlighting the vision of MAHASAGAR, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's concept for the Indian Ocean Region, the Defence Minister stressed that holistic maritime security and regional growth are intrinsically linked.
Noting that "who rules the sea, rules the world," Singh stated that the Indian Ocean is no longer merely a waterway but the stage on which the economic and strategic future of the region will be written.
The Defence Minister pitched for an integrated maritime domain awareness system to provide comprehensive information on a real-time basis. He noted that this would entail systematic cooperation among concerned agencies, navies, and coast guards to address illegal fishing, suspicious vessel tracking, narcotics trafficking, smuggling, and terrorism.
Describing Sri Lanka as a central pillar in India's strategic discourse, Singh reiterated India's role as a trusted global friend, or Vishwa-Mitra. Pointing to past successes in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations—such as successful coordination during the MT New Diamond incident and MV X-press Pearl firefighting assistance—he advocated for expanding bilateral cooperation beyond traditional security frameworks.
Singh called for an institutionalised economic framework covering fisheries and aquaculture, marine biotechnology, ocean science, maritime environment protection, and maritime tourism.
He concluded that India remains fully committed to assisting Sri Lanka in capacity building and joint exercises, reinforcing that holistic maritime security and mutual prosperity are indivisible and achievable only through trust and shared commitment.
The Defence Minister’s remarks come as India and Sri Lanka seek to further deepen their traditionally close bilateral ties, with defence and maritime cooperation emerging as key areas of focus during his three-day visit, which began on Tuesday. (ANI)
India, Sri Lanka must handle fisheries disputes with due care, as it is a livelihood issue: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
