Relations with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh among important issues in India's neighbourhood foreign policy: Shashi Tharoor

Relations with Sri Lanka and relations with Bangladesh are among the top important issues in India's neighbourhood foreign policy, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Chairperson Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday and noted that the panel had earlier been briefed by subject experts, including former diplomats to Sri Lanka, earlier this year.

Relations with Sri Lanka and relations with Bangladesh are among the top important issues in India's neighbourhood foreign policy, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs Chairperson Shashi Tharoor said on Tuesday and noted that the panel had earlier been briefed by subject experts, including former diplomats to Sri Lanka, earlier this year. The committee on Tuesday heard views of the representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs on the subject 'India-Sri Lanka Relations and the way ahead'.

Tharoor, a Congress MP and former Union Minister, said after the meeting that a draft report will be prepared which will then be agreed upon and submitted to Parliament. He said the Committee is taking all issues and concerns about ties with Sri Lanka seriously "We have been considering the question of India-Sri Lanka relations throughout this Committee's tenure, and we had already received a briefing by the Foreign Secretary last year and a briefing with subject experts, including former diplomats to Sri Lanka, earlier this year. This was the concluding consideration of detailed questions, along with updates on various developments in the Sri Lankan relationship since the last few meetings. After this, there will be no further meetings," he said.

"The Secretariat will be invited to start drafting a report, which will then be agreed upon and submitted to Parliament. There are four pending reports that need to be drafted. Once they are completed, meetings will be held to adopt the reports. Relations with Sri Lanka and relations with Bangladesh are among the top important issues in India's neighbourhood foreign policy. The Committee is taking all issues and concerns seriously," he added. Answering a query, Tharoor said Pakistan was not taken up this time as the Committee has reported on it quite recently.

"It will come up in future sessions. The Foreign Secretary will continue to brief the Committee on important developments regarding Pakistan, but it is not a subject for a report right now, as the existing report remains valid. Similarly, there is no new report on China, as the existing report is still valid," he said. (ANI)