• Cab. Spokesperson claims revelation of certain details requires bilateral agreement  

While the Government is being repeatedly questioned regarding the details of the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed between Sri Lanka and India during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government stated that the MoUs will be tabled in the Parliament ‘in the future’, adding however that certain details must be publicised only upon the agreement of both the parties.

Speaking at the weekly Cabinet media briefing yesterday (22), Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa said that it will take ‘some time’ to submit the MoUs to the Parliament. “Certain details must be publicised with the agreement of both the parties. The MoUs will be submitted to the Parliament in the future. These are just MoUs. If someone can’t wait until then, some details can be requested through a Right to Information (RTI) request,” he said.

Meanwhile, the media questioned whether the MoUs can be amended if any issues are raised in the Parliament or elsewhere. In response, Minister Dr. Jayatissa said that the MoUs were signed after comprehensive consultations with the relevant stakeholders, such as the Attorney General’s (AG) Department. “These are not decisions taken only by politicians. The decisions were made after consulting many parties, such as ministries and the AG’s Department. The MoUs were finalised after making many amendments and additions,” he added.

According to the Government, seven MoUs between India and Sri Lanka, covering several key sectors, were exchanged during Indian Premier Modi’s visit. Many parties, including the Opposition, questioned as to why the MoUs were not presented to the Parliament. However, the Government declined to provide details about the MoUs signed during the visit, calling on the media and the public to obtain information through RTI requests instead.