Govt. to invite India to develop WCT – Daily Mirror

The United States has signed a joint venture with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.

He said the government-to-government proposal would be submitted to the Cabinet next Tuesday

Sounding a conciliatory note, he said that Sri Lanka had never given an undertaking to India to develop the Container Terminal (ECT) and accepted it in the MOU signed between the two countries on April 26, 2017 .

The Minister said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pointed this out when he visited visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

He told the SLFP news briefing that President Maithripala Sirisena had explained Sri Lanka's stance on the ECT to Premier Modi when the two leaders put it in Kathmandu on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in August.

"Sri Lanka's position is that the ECT will be developed by the SLPA as a fully-fledged government-owned venture with any foreign collaboration or investment," the minister said.

Quoting the MoU signed by Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama, he said Sri Lanka had not agreed to any Indian involvement in ECT development plan.

The MOU in the 9th paragraph says, "A container terminal in Colombo Fort as a joint venture which includes Indian investment in the majority of transhipment in Colombo Port is related to India. The GOSL will announce the award of the contract in this regard by end of May, 2017 ".

"This is the only reference in the MOU in respect of the Port of Colombo and it says nothing about the ECT but only about 'A Container Terminal'," the minister said. "The WCT development project requires a huge investment and with completion South Asia Gateway Terminal. All of the containers, containers and tankers. "

Sri Lankan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Sri Lankan to expedite them. (Sandun A Jayaskera)