President Ranil Wickremesinghe stressed the importance of strengthening economic cooperation and regional integration between Japan and India, particularly deepening relations with India. The President made these remarks while addressing the Heads of State Session of the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit, which was held under the theme “A Strengthened Global South for a Sustainable Future”.

Speaking from the Presidential Residence in Anuradhapura yesterday (17), President Wickremesinghe emphasised Sri Lanka's strategic commitment to expanding economic partnerships across Asia, particularly through the Bay of Bengal Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Initiative. The President noted that the importance of BIMSTEC continues to grow as the Bay of Bengal region is emerging as a centre of economic growth. Sri Lanka, as a member, is seeking closer economic integration with India and is currently exploring economic cooperation agreements from Japan to India.

The conference, chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was attended by heads of state from various countries. In his address, President Wickremesinghe praised India's efforts to empower the Global South and acknowledged that the West could no longer maintain its dominance in global leadership. He hailed the Voice of the Global South Summit as a crucial platform for building consensus on the challenges facing developing countries.

On India-Sri Lanka relations, the President highlighted the joint 'Vision' statement of both countries, which recognises their historic cooperation and lays the foundation for future cooperation. He expressed optimism that this vision will lead to greater integration between Sri Lanka and India in various sectors.

President Wickremesinghe also thanked Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for their support during the recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka. The President acknowledged that India's assistance played a crucial role in helping Sri Lanka overcome the challenges of the last two years and emerge from insolvency.

President Wickremesinghe continued:

“Your Excellencies, Sri Lanka thanks India for hosting the third virtual seminar on 'Voices of the Global South'. This series enables us to engage with each other to understand our different viewpoints while helping us find common ground on many of the issues facing the South. We have reached a point where the West can no longer dominate global leadership and, moreover, has become part of the problem. Ukraine and Gaza are prime examples which I will not dwell on as they have already been discussed by previous speakers. In this context, we must appreciate India's efforts to empower the Global South.

Excellencies, let me say a few words about my country. Sri Lanka has entered into agreements with the official creditor countries, the Export-Import Bank of China, the IMF, the World Bank and the ADB to emerge from insolvency. At this point, I must acknowledge the generosity of Prime Minister Modi and India, whose contributions enabled us to survive the two years of insolvency, which placed a heavy burden on our people. The vision statement agreed by our two countries outlines the path for closer relations, emphasising our 2,000-year history of cooperation. This will ultimately lead to deeper integration of our nations in many sectors.

We will conclude the Comprehensive Economic and Technology Agreement. We will also initiate connectivity in power, transport and land and focus on developing the Trincomalee Port, among other projects we have agreed on. These efforts will help us improve our knowledge and technology and move towards a digital economy. I must express my gratitude to India for the support it has provided.

I must also mention the Bay of Bengal, which is emerging as a growth centre, with BIMSTEC becoming increasingly important. As a member of BIMSTEC, Sri Lanka, with its close economic ties with India, is seeking membership of RCEP with the aim of establishing economic cooperation agreements between Japan and India. We recognise the Bay of Bengal as essential to the development of our economies.

Since many of the issues I wanted to address have already been covered by previous speakers, I would just like to mention that the post-1989 era, which began with the collapse of the Soviet Union and was characterized by views such as the clash of civilizations and the end of history that emphasized the dominance of the Western system, is now coming to an end. This summit, along with similar gatherings, the expansion of the BRICS and the expansion of the G20, will pave the way for a new order in which the global South will leave a lasting legacy. I must thank India, which has worked to unite the Afro-Asian countries since its independence, and for the role it continues to play in creating a closer unity between us all. Thank you.”

– PMD