Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said in a statement following PM Modi’s talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake that India and Sri Lanka agreed on the need to intensify the institutional discussions on the issue.
In what comes as a special gesture, Sri Lanka on Sunday released 14 Indian fishermen, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi batted for a ‘humane approach’ to solve the complex issue in talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. In his media statement following talks with the Sri Lankan President, PM Modi stated, “We also discussed issues related to fishermen’s livelihoods. We agreed that we should proceed with a humane approach in this matter.” “We also emphasised the immediate release of the fishermen and their boats,” he added.
Notably, there have been alleged previous instances of Sri Lankan Navy personnel using force against Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water which separates Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a media briefing on Saturday that the fishermen issue featured in the PM Modi-Dissanayake talks.
“As the prime minister said himself during his remarks, there was an emphasis on the need to adopt a humanitarian and constructive approach to cooperation on these issues because these are ultimately issues that impact the livelihood of fishermen on both sides of the Palk Bay,” he said.
“The prime minister emphasised that at the end of the day, it is a daily issue for the fishermen and that certain actions that have been taken in recent times could be reconsidered,” Misri added.
Misri also underscored that New Delhi and Colombo agreed on the need to intensify the institutional discussions on the issue.
In his statement following PM Modi’s talks with Dissanayake, the Foreign Secretary said that India and Sri Lanka are in “touch with each other on the possibility of convening the next round of fishermen’s association talks”.
(With inputs from PTI)