Last-minute granting of permission to the UN research ship to enter Sri Lanka proved to come too late. In an interview with the Sirasa TV channel, the Foreign Minister said that the UN ship was not allowed to enter because a standard operating procedure had not been prepared for research ships.
This UN research ship is funded by Norway. The ship was built by Norway and is the third research ship built by Norway. Sometime before this UN research ship built by Norway decided to enter Sri Lanka, then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe and the Prime Minister of Norway met in Oslo and were involved in a discussion about how to make Sri Lanka a maritime hub and how the two countries could join forces to develop economies through the ‘Blue Economy’.
The first foreign country to be involved with the fishing industry in Sri Lanka was Norway. Norway began helping develop Sri Lanka’s fishing industry through Cey-Nor during the Bandaranaike government in the 1970s. The foundation for maritime research in Sri Lanka through Cey-Nor was laid some time later. After Norway intervened in the peace process in Sri Lanka during the LTTE war, Norway’s attention shifted to the peace process.
The Norwegian prime minister met with Prime Minister Ranil in 2018; they discussed the Blue Economy and maritime cooperation. Norway and China started a maritime cooperation later. Last June, Norway and China held the ‘Sailing Together to a Green Future’ conference, taking the maritime cooperation between Norway and China to a higher level. Chinese maritime experts have already expressed their views on the benefits that Sri Lanka can gain through this maritime cooperation between Norway and China. However, due to the ban imposed on research vessels in Sri Lanka, it is unlikely that Chinese research vessels will be allowed to enter Sri Lanka. Foreign Minister Vijitha’s interview with Sirasa TV shows that the preparation of SOPs for research vessels will not take place for several months. It is not possible to say for sure how the NPP government will agree to jointly conduct maritime research in Sri Lanka.
China has not abandoned its maritime research project in Sri Lanka. It is doubtful whether there is a plan for them to cooperate with Norway to minimize Indian opposition. It is also difficult to imagine Norway will not be involved in the research ship conflict between India, China, and Sri Lanka.
