By: Staff Writer
January 01, Colombo (LNW): The Sri Lanka Government has confirmed it will not extend the year-long moratorium on foreign Marine Scientific Research (MSR), which concludes last night (31 December 2024).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is moving swiftly to establish a committee tasked with drafting a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for granting diplomatic clearance to foreign research vessels and aircraft.
The new SOP will outline the procedures for allowing foreign MSRs to conduct surveys in Sri Lankan waters and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed that the moratorium, instituted by the previous Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, will not be extended.
He added that the new SOP will balance international best practices, national security concerns, and Sri Lanka’s national interests.
The committee, which will be led by Herath, aims to complete the new SOP promptly, though he indicated foreign MSRs will not be permitted in Sri Lankan waters before the new guidelines are finalized.
This move follows extensive efforts by the previous government to refine the existing SOP for MSR clearance, including consultations with several countries, including India, in 2022-2023.
The new process proposed by the Foreign Ministry raises questions about whether the government is revisiting and potentially revising policies already put in place earlier this year.
The “New SOP of 2023/24,” which was shared with foreign diplomatic missions, included stringent regulations requiring applications for MSR activities to be submitted six months in advance, with amendments due two months ahead of the survey start date.
The SOP also mandates local collaboration in research and guarantees that Sri Lankan authorities or designated researchers have the right to participate in the studies. The final reports must be submitted to Sri Lankan authorities in line with UNCLOS regulations.
On the face of it, the previous Sri Lankan government’s decision to ‘declare a pause’ on foreign research vessels for one year beginning 1 January 2024 is an attempt to buy peace with the large-hearted Indian neighbour, and also the United States (US), leader of the Western bloc, that is not as generous towards the island-nation, especially in matters human rights.
Yet, in effect, Sri Lanka’s ‘moratorium’ only means that a directly-elected President with a newly-elected Parliament, both with a full and fresh mandate, could and would review and take decisions that they consider appropriate and beneficial to their country, as they see it, as it stands in circa 2025.
New Delhi should be keeping its fingers crossed, to the possibility of a post-poll President ordering a review earlier and also for the moratorium’s withdrawal or suspension on a selective basis.
