Colombo, Nov 14 – India’s Foreign Minister arrived here Wednesday to attend a major Commonwealth leaders’ summit amid controversy over Sri Lanka’s human rights record that saw a last minute pull-out by the Indian Prime Minister.
Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh arrived in the capital city on a five-day visit that will see them attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Xinhua news agency reported.
India, Sri Lanka’s closest neighbour and largest trading partner, has been pushing Colombo to address accountability issues and improve reconciliation with the Tamil minority.
Pressured by his ministers, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh pulled out of CHOGM over the weekend after weeks of speculation.
Indian media have criticised the move and warned it would be seen as a slur by Colombo and could damage future relations between both countries.
Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris told reporters the 53 members of the Commonwealth need to be concerned with common issues and not get sidetracked by political controversies.
“Political issues must not crowd out economic and social issues that are at the very heart of the relevance of the Commonwealth. If it (Commonwealth) is to flourish as a vibrant institution that builds the confidence of the people, there must be proper focus in finding solutions to the social issues,” said Peiris.
The South Indian State of Tamil Nadu, which has a strong ethnic connection with Sri Lanka’s Tamil population, has demanded a complete boycott of CHOGM.
– Bernama
