India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed confidence in the resilience of India’s diplomatic ties with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, despite recent political shifts in both countries. Speaking at an event titled “India, Asia, and the World,” hosted by the Asia Society and the Asia Society Policy Institute, Jaishankar reassured that India’s approach to its neighbours remains “positive and constructive.”
Jaishankar responded to concerns over whether changes in leadership, including the ousting of Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the election of Marxist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake as Sri Lanka’s new president, would strain India’s relations with its neighbours.
“I would urge you not to be deterministic about it. It’s not like India is seeking to control every political move of every neighbour. That’s not how it works,” he said, as quoted by India Today.
Jaishankar underscored that each nation’s political dynamics will evolve independently, but mutual benefits and regional interdependence will continue to drive cooperation. “I’m very confident... the realities of interdependence or mutual benefit and our ability to get along will serve both our interests. Those realities will assert themselves,” he added.
Addressing India’s crucial support to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis, Jaishankar highlighted the importance of India’s timely intervention.
“When nobody else came forward... I’m very glad we did it. We did it in a timely manner. We did it on scale. We put out $4.5 billion effectively,” he said, emphasising that India’s aid was given without political strings attached. “We were doing it as a good neighbour who did not want to see that kind of economic meltdown at our doorstep.”
Jaishankar stressed that political decisions in Sri Lanka, including those following Dissanayake’s election as president, are for Sri Lankans to make. “At the end of the day, each of our neighbors will have their own particular dynamics. It's not our intention to suggest that their dynamics must necessarily adhere to what we might consider as being better for us,” he said.
On Bangladesh, Jaishankar pointed to a decade of economic collaboration as a foundation for continued positive relations. “What we have done over the last decade is to do projects of various kinds which have been good for both of us. Economic activity overall has picked up, and logistics of that region have improved,” he noted.
He emphasised that India’s long-term projects with Bangladesh would continue to benefit both nations, regardless of the leadership changes.
Jaishankar remained optimistic about India's relationships with both countries. “Every few years, something happens in our region, and people suggest that there is some kind of irretrievable situation out there.
“You then see the correctives beginning to manifest themselves... I am quite confident that in both these cases, our relationship would continue to be positive and constructive.”
