Colombo, November 27 (newsin.asia): In his Lalith Athulathmudali Commemoration Freedom Speech on “India-Sri Lanka relations for a shared and secured future” here on Tuesday, the Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu cautioned against being prisoners of the past.
“Change is the only constant,” Sandhu said and stressed the importance of not remaining prisoners of the past. “People should look at things as they are today, and see how India and Sri Lanka can together shape a better world for our people.”
“India and Sri Lanka have a lot to offer each other, and to the world,” the High Commissioner said, highlighting the strong cooperation between India and Sri Lanka in the field of defense and security, and development partnership.
He emphasized the fact that India could offer more in these fields depending on Sri Lanka’s own requirements.
The High Commissioner pointed out that though both India and Sri Lanka are ancient civilizations, they are also nations of youth. He pointed out the need to transform the existing potential into reality, through more connectivity, more travel and tourist inflows, and more investments, in both directions.
Jehadi Terrorism
The High Commissioner pointed out that national security goes beyond physically securing of one’s borders.
“If the region and the world are in turmoil, we cannot remain safe. In this era of internet and cyberspace, ideas and ideologies travel at the click of a mouse, beyond borders, on a real time basis,” Sandhu said.
He underscored the need to keep the forces which perpetrate the Jehadi ideology at bay.
Festival Of Democracy
The High Commissioner termed the recently concluded Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka as “a festival of democracy”. He mentioned the recent visit of the Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishanker to Sri Lanka, and pointed out that Dr.Jaishankar was the first foreign dignitary to call on the new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The High Commissioner also spoke about the forthcoming visit of the President of Sri Lanka to India later this week, making India the first overseas destination after winning the Presidential election.
He recalled that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka after the Easter Sunday attacks in April this year.
The High Commissioner noted that all these high-level exchanges underlined the special nature of India-Sri Lanka ties.
The Oration was organised by the Lalith Athulathmudali Foundation, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, and the Institute for Democracy and Leadership.
The Oration coincided with 83rd birth anniversary of Hon. Lalith Athulathmudali, the anniversary of the dastardly terror attacks in Mumbai (26/11), and the Constitution Day of India (when the Indian Constitution was adopted).
The High Commissioner paid homage to all victims of terror attacks in India, Sri Lanka and across the globe.
