The former president, Mahinda Rajapaksa reassured India, that Sri Lanka would never pose a threat to the country as he embarked on his election campaign for the upcoming general election on August 17.
"Sri Lanka will never pose a threat to India, and we have nothing to gain by helping any other country to become a threat to India," Mr Rajapaksa told an Indian news site, Rediff, in an interview on Sunday.
Reiterating the "need to maintain good relations with both India and China", Mr Rajapaksa said he intended "to be a bridge between these two rising superpowers".
Stating that he had a "groundswell of support" build up since he lost the election in January, Mr Rajapaksa rejected any notion that he would not be able to work along side the current president, Maithripala Sirisena.
"The position of prime minister is now different to what it was before the 19th amendment to the constitution was passed. The PM has a certain defined role to play. I do not see any problem at all in working with President Sirisena in that capacity," he said.
See full interview here.
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