Volume II,Issue IV, March 2026
Volume-II, Issue-IV, March, 2026 |
Received: 13.03.2026 | Accepted: 13.03.2026 | ||
Published Online: 31.03.2026 | Page No: | ||
DOI: 10.69655/atmadeep.vol.2.issue.04W. | |||
একবিংশ শতাব্দীতে ভারত–শ্রীলঙ্কা সম্পর্ক: ভূরাজনৈতিক ও কৌশলগত সমন্বয়ের একটি বিশ্লেষণ নৌরিন সিদ্দিকী, গবেষক, রাষ্ট্রবিজ্ঞান বিভাগ, ডায়মন্ড হারবার মহিলা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়, পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, ভারত |
Nourin Siddique, Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, Diamond Harbour Women’s University, West Bengal, India | ||
ABSTRACT | ||
The bilateral relationship between India and Sri Lanka is one of the oldest and most layered partnerships in South Asia, rooted in shared civilizational memory, Buddhist heritage, and geographic contiguity across the Palk Strait. This paper undertakes a systematic examination of how this relationship has evolved in the twenty-first century, focusing on political, economic, cultural, and geopolitical dimensions. Drawing on primary diplomatic records and secondary scholarly sources, the study analyses the transformative impact of India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy, which re-energised bilateral engagement particularly under the Modi administration. The 2022 Sri Lankan economic collapse— the worst in the island's post-independence history— served as a critical test of Indian strategic commitment, and India's rapid humanitarian intervention, totalling approximately USD 4 billion in credit lines, food, fuel and medicine, substantially reinforced its image as a reliable partner. The article also investigates how the India–Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement (ISFTA, 2000) reshaped bilateral commerce, with Sri Lankan exports to India rising by over 342% within two years of implementation, and explores the prospects and political obstacles surrounding the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Cultural diplomacy— encompassing Buddhist relic exchanges, direct air connectivity, yoga diplomacy and academic institution-building— constitutes a central but often under-examined dimension of this relationship. Against this backdrop, the article pays close attention to the geopolitical anxieties generated by China's Belt and Road Initiative investments in Sri Lanka, particularly the 2017 Hambantota Port lease, and situates India’s hedging strategy— including its participation in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue— within the broader contest for influence in the Indian Ocean Region. The paper concludes that the India–Sri Lanka relationship, despite periodic turbulence, retains strong structural foundations, and that its future trajectory will depend on sustained diplomatic creativity, equitable economic partnerships, and transparent multilateral cooperation. | ||
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