Looking at forging closer relationship with India, says Sri Lankan Foreign Minister

On Monday, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry stated that Colombo has not granted permission for a Chinese warship to dock, adding that Indian security concerns are “important” for Sri Lanka.

When asked about rumours of a Chinese research vessel named Shi Yan 6 docking in Sri Lanka in October and India’s worries, he stated they have a standard operating procedure (SOP) and have informed many friends, including India.

“That’s a conversation going on for some period of time. India has expressed its concerns for a long period of time, but we have now come out with the SOP standard operating procedure. When we were making that, we consulted many of our friends, including India. So, as long as it complies with the SOP, we have no problem. But if it doesn’t comply with the SOP, we have a problem,” Ali Sabry told ANI.