Sri Lanka to soon formulate national policy on visits by foreign research vessels: Foreign Minister

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will soon formulate a national policy on allowing visits by foreign research vessels, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said here on Friday, amidst frequent docking requests from Chinese surveillance ships which raised concerns in India.

Herath’s comments came days after Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s visit to India.

In January, Sri Lanka enforced a year-long moratorium on foreign marine scientific research survey vessels operating in its waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone after strong security concerns were raised by India and the US following frequent docking requests from hi-tech Chinese surveillance vessels.