Delhi, Colombo sign landmark civil nuke deal

India and Sri Lanka yesterday inked a civil nuclear pact -- the first such deal between two Saarc countries -- and decided to expand defence and security cooperation.

This was announced after the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in New Delhi.

In a joint press interaction with Sirisena, Modi said, “The bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation is yet another demonstration of our mutual trust.

“This is the first such agreement Sri Lanka has signed. It opens new avenues for cooperation, including in areas like agriculture and healthcare.”

Sirisena arrived here Sunday on his first foreign trip since assuming charge of the country after voting out Mahinda Rajapaksa from his 10-year rule in a bitterly contested presidential poll.

The pact would facilitate cooperation in transfer and exchange of knowledge and expertise, sharing the resources, capacity building and training of personnel in peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including use of radioisotopes, nuclear safety, radiation safety and nuclear security.

It would also facilitate cooperation in radioactive waste management, nuclear and radiological disaster mitigation and environmental protection.

The Indian PM said he and the Sri Lankan leader also agreed to expand the defence and security cooperation.

"We welcomed the progress in our maritime security cooperation, including in the trilateral format with the Maldives," he said.

Modi also said he believed that destinies of both the countries were "inter-linked" and that "our security and prosperity are indivisible".

The Sri Lankan president expressed happiness over the outcome of the talks and said the friendship between the two countries was not only important to each other but was significant for the region as well.

"I really appreciate Prime Minister Modi's efforts (to improve ties). Relations between the two countries will be strengthened further," he said.

Modi also thanked Sirisena for inviting him to visit Sri Lanka and said he was "eagerly looking forward to visiting the country in March".