Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Radha Mohan Singh welcomed Sri Lankan Foreign Minister H.E. Mangala Samaraweera, Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister H.E. Mahinda Amraveera and all other members of the Sri Lankan delegation to India on Saturday in New Delhi.
The two sides tried to move forward towards a meaningful solution through discussion on Fishermen’s issues between both the countries. Fishermen from India and Sri Lanka have been fishing over centuries in the Palk Bay area located between India and Sri Lanka.
Given the proximity of the two countries in the sea, the incidents of straying of fishermen and crossing the IMBL are common, especially in the Palk-Strait and Gulf of Mannar. These have often proved to be risky for them. The instances of arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu (while fishing in Sri Lankan waters), seizure of their boats and attack by the Sri Lankan Navy are of great concern to the Indian government.
Both the countries have mutually entered into agreement in 1974 and in 1976 to decide the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in accordance with the international rules, and we have full respect to the same.
Besides other things, both the countries decided to agree upon a real and practical arrangement to address the issue of crossing the IMBL by fishermen. Issues related to the custody of fishermen should settle on ‘humanitarian grounds’ which may only be possible through mutual consent between both the countries.
