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Aspects of Ceylon/Sri Lanka Foreign Relations - 1948 to 1976
In August this year it will be 50 years since Sri Lanka hosted the fifth Non-Aligned Summit in Colombo – the high point in our foreign relations. I thought it appropriate in that context to comment on Ceylon/Sri Lanka’s foreign policy until that time. The Prime Minister, who was the head of the government then was the Minister of Defence and External Affairs, in terms of the Constitution of Ceylon. That changed in 1972, although it continued in practice until 1977. The fact that the Prime Minister was also the Foreign Minister, gave a higher profile to foreign policy making. This was particularly conducive to Sri Lanka’s relations with India. Sri Lanka’s foreign policy between 1948 and 1956 was oriented towards the West. Attached to the Constitution of Ceylon was a Defence Agreement with the United Kingdom. For instance, officer cadets of the armed forces were trained at Sandhurst, Dartmouth and Cranwell in the UK. The period between 1948 and 1956 was one which could be described as a western oriented foreign policy. After 1956, Ceylon moved towards a more neutral and non-aligned stance. Between 1948 and 1977, whatever the government, Ceylon/Sri Lanka was specially concerned in maintaining close and friendly relations with India. Prime Ministers D.S. Senanayake, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, Dudley Senanayake and Sirimavo Bandaranaike, had very friendly relations with Indian Prime Ministers Nehru, Shastri and Indira Gandhi. There was a kind of a special relationship. It is the breakdown of that close and cordial relationship of the two countries which led to much unrest in Sri Lanka later. Between 1948 and 1970, Sri Lanka’s foreign policy was largely concerned with bilateral relations. There was no strong focus on multilateral and UN institutions. Foreign relations were largely of a bilateral nature. Between 1970 and 1977, there was a significant change in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy. There was a strong engagement with multilateral institutions especially of the UN system. There is one exception to bilateralism of this time, and that is the Commonwealth. Since about 1950, Ceylon/Sri Lanka has been a part of the Commonwealth group. That is the first inter-governmental arrangement that Ceylon was part of. The Commonwealth played an important part in our foreign relations. It assisted Ceylon to establish close links with countries like, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. There were significant aid relationships with these countries and with the United Kingdom. Canada...
India-Sri Lanka Relations Strategic Issues and Challenges
India-Sri Lanka relations are among the oldest and most complex bilateral ties in Asia. The two countries are separated by just 22 km across the Palk Strait. They share deep civilisational links. These include Buddhist heritage, Tamil connections, and maritime history. For UPSC aspirants preparing through IAS coaching in Hyderabad, this topic is highly important for GS Paper 2 and PSIR.
Dominion Status | Sri Lanka National Archives
On March 6, 1948, the National Flag Committee was appointed to create a national flag for independent Ceylon. S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike served as its chairman, Senarat Paranavitana worked as the secretary, and T. B. Jaya, Lalitha Rajapaksa, G. G. Ponnambalam, and Sudesh Nadesan were other members.
Where is Sri Lanka? Culture, Facts & Travel - CountryReports
What makes Sri Lanka a unique country to travel to? Country Description Sri Lanka is a presidential parliamentary democracy with a developing economy. On May 18, 2009, more than 26 years of conflict ended with the Sri Lankan government defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). During the war, the LTTE had a history of attacks against civilians, though none were directed against U ...
