Country Profile
From The Report: Sri Lanka 2019
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Sri Lanka has long served as an important strategic destination in the Indian Ocean, catering to merchants and travellers from South-east Asia, India, the Middle East and East Africa. While much of the country’s recent history has been tainted by a decades-long civil war, post-conflict euphoria brought with it a sense of renewal and optimism. A coalition administration elected in 2015 pledged its commitment to inclusive governance and economic reform, a rebalancing of foreign policy, and reconciliation with its ethnic minorities. However, the coalition has diverged on several key policy issues, leading to delays in the legislative agenda and culminating in a constitutional crisis that saw the prime minister removed from office by the president in October 2018, only to be reinstated two months later following a ruling by the country’s highest court. This chapter contains interviews with President Maithripala Sirisena; and Ganeshan Wignaraja, Executive Director, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute; and a viewpoint from Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Natural beauty: Island nation in the Indian Ocean boasts diverse landscapes
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Sri Lanka has long served as an important strategic destination in the Indian Ocean, catering to merchants and travellers from South-east Asia, India, the Middle East and East Africa. Formerly known as Ceylon, the island was visited and admired by the likes of Marco Polo, who called it “the finest island of its size in the world” well before the arrival of imperialist nations. A diverse colonial history, including influence from Portuguese, Dutch and British cultures, is visible across…

Overview

Meaningful exchanges: New trade agreements provide a fillip to fiscal reforms
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After years of internal conflict, Sri Lanka is enacting political and economic reforms to exert its renewed influence in the region and become an independent, global player. As political tensions continue following the constitutional crisis in 2018, it remains to be seen whether the authorities will be able to implement its programme of reforms and position the nation on the international stage. History Sri Lanka’s first inhabitants were hunter-gatherers who likely crossed a land bridge…

Interview

Building trust: President Maithripala Sirisena, on creating stable peace, inclusive growth and robust international diplomacy
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Interview:Maithripala Sirisena In what ways is Sri Lanka leveraging its geostrategic position in the Indian Ocean to help stimulate domestic economic growth? MAITHRIPALA SIRISENA: Sri Lanka’s geostrategic location has brought us many benefits over the centuries. Our country’s long tradition as a dual economy with thriving trade and agriculture has a lot to do with the trade-enabling location of the country. Colombo is a gateway to India, and our close proximity to the world’s busiest…

Analysis

Path to prosperity: Vision 2025 seeks to boost exports and spread economic benefits
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In September 2017 the Sri Lankan government launched an ambitious development plan, Vision 2025. The eight-year strategy aims to turn the country into an upper-middle-income one “by transforming Sri Lanka into the hub of the Indian Ocean, with a knowledge-based, highly competitive, social market economy”. While the government and the country as a whole have since gone through many tribulations, these goals have largely retained their currency across the political spectrum, even if there…

Viewpoint

Next order of business: Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, on economic and security cooperation within and beyond the Indo-Pacific
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Viewpoint:Ranil Wickremesinghe Large populations, which have previously been seen as an economic burden, are now seen as marketplaces for products, services and ideas. Around 4bn of the world’s population is in Asia. This represents not only a marketplace for products and ideas, but also a marketplace for futuristic imagination, invention and innovation. The Asian Development Bank has stated that “Asia is in the middle of a historic transformation. If it continues to follow its…

Interview

All for one: Ganeshan Wignaraja, Executive Director, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, on the fulcrums of regional integration
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Interview:Ganeshan Wignaraja What areas should Sri Lanka prioritise as chair of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) for 2018-20? GANESHAN WIGNARAJA: Sri Lanka’s leadership comes at a pivotal moment. The momentum for regional integration has stalled due to political differences between India and Pakistan. Given the economic and strategic needs of its members, Sri Lanka must lead effectively to lift both its position and the status…