India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K Kantha told The Island that his country trains around 1,400 members of Sri Lanka’s security forces every year, the most it provides to any country.
He was asked whether India would consider increasing the supply of arms and ammunition, to which he smiled and said,
"We provide a small quantity of equipment. But what is significant is that security exchanges are developing steadily in keeping with our inter-linked interests."
Speaking at a function marking India’s 64th Republic Day in Colombo, the high commissioner said that the relationship between both countries was “special”.
"As the Indian nation moves forward, we want our neighbours to be part of a collective growth story. We are ready to extend our fullest support to Sri Lanka in fulfilling its aspirations of peace, harmony, national reconciliation and development in the post war era."
Senior Minister of Good Governance and Infrastructure Ratnasiri Wickremenayake said that Sri Lanka was grateful to India for its “unconditional support” provided during the conflict with the LTTE.
"We look back with gratitude for the assistance provided by New Delhi at a crucial stage of our history," the minister said.
Kantha noted that India is Sri Lanka’s biggest trade partner, with bilateral trade currently worth over $5bn.
"We have agreed to double bilateral trade to US$ 10 billion by 2015 and move towards an enhanced framework for a special economic partnership," he said.