Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry backed India in New Delhi’s diplomatic tussle with Canada, saying “some of the terrorists have found safe haven in Canada.”
In an interview with a news agency, the minister slammed Canadain Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, saying, The Canadian PM has this way of just coming out with some outrageous allegations without any supporting proof. The same thing they did for Sri Lanka, a terrible, total lie about saying that Sri Lanka had a genocide. Everybody knows there was no genocide in our country.”
Pointing out Trudeau’s reception of a Nazi war veteran on Monday, Sabry said, “I saw yesterday he had gone and given a rousing welcome to somebody who have associated with the Nazis in the past during the Second World War. So this is questionable and we have dealt with it in the past. I am not surprised that sometime PM Trudeau comes out with outrageous and substantiated allegations.”
Sabry also addressed India’s concerns about a Chinese research ship docking in its ports. Indian security concerns are “important” for Colombo, he said, adding that the country has not allowed Chinese research vessel named Shi Yan 6 to dock in its territory next month.
The Chinese vessel was scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka in October to conduct research along with the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency (NARA), according to Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror.
“India has expressed its concerns over a long time, but we have come out with the SOP (standard operating procedure). When we were making that, we consulted many of our friends, including India. So, as long as it complies with the SOP, we have no problem. But if it doesn’t comply with the SOP, we have a problem,” ANI quoted Sabry as saying.
“So, therefore, as far as I know, we have not given permission to come to Sri Lanka during October. Negotiations are going on. Indian security concerns, which are legitimate, are very, very important for us. We have always told that because we want to keep our region a zone of peace,” stated Ali Sabry.
Sabry’s statement echoes Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe who had earlier said that an SOP had been framed with regard to foreign vessels carrying out any activity in Sri Lankan territory.
