India and Sri Lanka don’t have a land boundary but we are the closest neighbours in every sense, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, addressing the Sri Lankan Parliament today.

“We have faced violence. We have faced brutal terrorism. We have also seen peaceful settlement. We have dealt with these in our own ways.”

“I can assure you that to India, the unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka are paramount,” he said.

The Indian Premier said his vision of an ideal neighbourhood is one in which trade, investments, technology, ideas and people flow easily across borders.

“India is a natural source of investment for Sri Lanka.”

He stated that connecting this vast region by land and sea, the two countries can together become the “engines of prosperity” and called for the two governments to work together to harness the “vast potential of the ocean economy”.

Modi said that the shared responsibility of the two countries in the maritime neighbourhood is clear and that India and Sri Lanka are too close to each other to be insulated from each other.

“Our recent histories have shown that we suffer together and we are more effective when we work with each other.”

“Our cooperation is critical in combating terrorism and extremism,” he said, adding, that “both have internal threats.”

The need for us to cooperate on security has never been stronger than it is today, Modi said.

“We should expand maritime security cooperation between India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and all other partners in the region.”