Sri Lanka’s ambassador to France, Remi Lambert, is a graduate in history and geography. He is likely aware of Napoleon Bonaparte’s famous remark about the strategic importance of Trincomalee harbour. Napoleon stated that he who controls Trincomalee controls the entire Indian Ocean. He reasoned that during the Napoleonic Wars, this natural harbour served as a major base for the Royal Navy.
Even before the Napoleonic Wars, the region had been a key theatre during the American Revolutionary War. In 1782, at the Battle of Trincomalee, French Admiral Bailli de Suffren battled with the British Royal Navy. The French temporarily captured Trincomalee harbour and used it as a vital supply base for their Indian alliance.
In modern times, French President Emmanuel Macron has grasped Sri Lanka’s geopolitical significance in the Indian Ocean. Following Sri Lanka’s bankruptcy, he intervened to facilitate debt restructuring through the Paris Club, enabling the country to secure its IMF agreement. At that time, President Ranil Wickremesinghe was invited to France’s new global financial summit. Macron also discussed bilateral relations and maritime security with Wickremesinghe, on a transit stopover in Colombo. Subsequently, Rear Admiral Hugues Lainé, the French Joint Forces Commander in the Indian Ocean, visited Sri Lanka and met senior defence officials, highlighting the importance of Sri Lanka’s geography and maritime domain for future cooperation.
Just last week, during the visit of the U.S. Pacific Air Force Commander, Ambassador Lambert met Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. He conveyed that French investors were keen to invest in development projects at Colombo Port’s East Terminal. Soon after, Lambert met Ports Minister Anura Karunathilaka, and the Port Authority Chairman, accompanied by a delegation of leading French investors. The delegation was headed by the Executive Vice President of CMA-CGM, a world-renowned French shipping company. CMA-CGM operates container terminals in 65 major ports worldwide. The vice president expressed the company’s willingness to contribute to the development of Colombo Port through a joint venture, citing its strategic location. She further noted that CMA-CGM is already studying the second phase of the West Terminal project at Colombo Port. During these discussions, Ambassador Lambert announced that President Anura is scheduled to visit France on July 16, where he will meet CMA-CGM’s president.
How the arrival of France into Sri Lanka’s geopolitical chessboard will be interpreted by the United States, India, and China remains to be seen.
