Asserting that there was no "secret agreement" between India and Sri Lanka on the Tamil issue, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Tuesday said New Delhi shares its view.
COLMOBO: Asserting that there was no "secret agreement" between India and Sri Lanka on the Tamil issue, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Tuesday said New Delhi shares its view that all forms of terrorism should be defeated.
"India's stand on this matter (terrorism) could not have been expressed in a more unambiguous and candid manner,"
Bogollagama told Parliament adding, the Indo-Sri Lanka joint press statement explicitly endorsed the common position shared by the two countries.
Bogollagama told opposition UNP members John Amaratunga and Joseph Michael Perera that whatever was agreed upon between Sri Lanka and India after the recent visit of senior Presidential advisor Basil Rajapaksa to New Delhi is mentioned in the joint (press) statement.
"There is no secret agreement between India and Sri Lanka and the statement released mentions the understanding between the two countries," the Foreign Minister said.
Meanwhile, an official release by the Foreign Ministry said Bogollagama highlighted the strong bonds of friendship and trust that the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has forged with the political leadership of India as a manifestation of the longstanding historical ties between the two nations.
Implicitly criticising "interested parties" who were attempting to impute an "ulterior motive" to the Indian government for the offer of 800 tonnes of relief material for civilians caught up in the conflict in the north, the Minister emphasised that India has come forward with this humanitarian assistance as a goodwill gesture.
This reflects the friendship and spirit of good neighbourliness between the two countries, he said.
Bogollagama cautioned the public not to be misguided by the "mischievous construction" given to this noble gesture of goodwill by India, the release said.
Similarly, he said, Sri Lanka had also made a cash donation of 50,000 dollars as humanitarian relief for victims of the Bihar floods in September this year.
Bogollagama hailed the "excellent understanding" that the government has with Indian government in its efforts to defeat terrorism and restore democracy to the north, the release said.
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