Sri Lanka allays Indian concerns on Hambantota port

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has played down India’s concerns regarding Hambantota port, with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe saying Colombo won’t enter into a military alliance with any country or make its bases available to foreign countries.

Sri Lanka signed a $ 1.1 billion deal with China in July to lease the Hambantota port to Beijing. A staterun Chinese company will have a 99-year lease on the port. The deal will help Sri Lanka repay billions of dol- lars borrowed from Beijing.

This had led to concerns by India that the port will be used by the Chinese for military purposes.

However, Wickremesinghe, at the opening ceremony of the Indian Ocean Conference in Colombo on Thursday, told the delegates that the port will not be used as a base by any foreign military, the Sri Lankan media reported.

Addressing the delegates, including Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, he said: “Let me refer to Sri Lanka’s decision to develop its major sea ports, especially the Hambantota port which some claim to be a military base. I state clearly that (our) government does not enter into military alliances with any country or make our bases available to foreign countries.”

The Prime Minister said his country will continue military cooperation such as training, supply of equipment and taking part in joint exercises with friendly countries.