The meeting covered the entire gamut of issues related to fishermen and fishing boats
The Fourth Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on Fisheries was held through virtual mode. The Indian delegation was led by Dr Rajeev Ranjan, Secretary, Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. The other members of the Indian delegation included senior representatives from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Tamil Nadu, Government of Puducherry, Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.
The Sri Lankan delegation was led by R.M.I. Rathnayake, Secretary, Ministry of Fisheries of the Government of Sri Lanka. The other members of the Sri Lankan delegation were senior officials from their Foreign Ministry, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Navy, Coast Guard and the Department of the Attorney General.
The meeting covered the entire gamut of issues related to fishermen and fishing boats which have been on the agenda of bilateral discussions between India and Sri Lanka for many years. It may be recalled that during the Virtual Bilateral Summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa held on 26 September 2020, both leaders agreed to “continue engagement to address the issues related to fishermen through regular consultation and bilateral channels.”
Secretary, Fisheries, Government of India, highlighted that the Indian side remains committed to working constructively with the Sri Lankan side to address all issues related to fishermen and their livelihoods in a humanitarian manner and in line with past understandings.
Both sides agreed that the convening of the JWG on virtual medium to tide over the restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic reflected the common desire to utilize the existing bilateral mechanisms and work constructively to address all issues pertaining to fishermen.
