brand logo

GoSL’s unilateral announcement on ECT: Japan yet to decide on policy 

07 Feb 2021

  • India stresses on SL keeping to intl. obligations 

  The Japanese Embassy in Colombo said that the Government of Japan has yet to decide on its policy line concerning the unilateral announcement made by Sri Lanka over the development of the East Container Terminal (ECT) at the Colombo Port, a decision concerning which Japan has expressed disappointment. The Embassy said this in response to a question posed regarding the stance of Japan over the latest development related to the ECT and the offer made by Sri Lanka to develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) of the Colombo Port with Japan and India, instead of the ECT.  The Embassy told The Sunday Morning that Japan, Sri Lanka, and India have been discussing the details of co-operation for the development of the ECT based on the relevant memorandum of co-operation (MoC) signed in May 2019. “It is regrettable that the Government of Sri Lanka has unilaterally announced the decision taken by the Cabinet of Ministers that the development and operation of the ECT will be carried out solely by Sri Lanka. The Embassy is collecting details at the moment and the Government of Japan is yet to decide on its policy line on the unilateral announcement made by Sri Lanka,” it said.  When queried as to whether the issue was discussed with Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena when Japanese Ambassador Akira Sugiyama met him on 3 February, the Embassy said that it was unable to provide the details in view of it being a diplomatic communication.  Meanwhile, the Indian media reported that India on 4 February had stressed the importance of Sri Lanka adhering to its international commitments relating to the development of the ECT.  Indian External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said at a media briefing that the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo is in talks with the Lankan Government on the issue.  "As is well known, the Governments of India, Sri Lanka, and Japan signed an MoC in May 2019, to develop and operate the ECT within a trilateral framework. We sincerely believe that the development of infrastructure in Sri Lanka, in areas such as ports and energy, with foreign investment from India and Japan, will be a mutually beneficial proposition," Srivastava had noted.  The Cabinet on 1 February decided to develop the ECT solely under the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and to develop the WCT with 85% shares offered to companies named by Japan and India.


More News..