Sri Lanka and India yesterday agreed to set up a fresh joint working group on Fisheries to find a permanent solution to the volatile issue of poaching and illegal fishing in the Palk Strait through regular dialogue.
The first ministerial meeting of the joint commission is to be held on January 2, 2017 in Colombo, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said.
Foreign Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sushma Swaraj led a round of crucial meetings in Delhi yesterday following a series of failed efforts, the last of which was between the fishermen associations was held on Wednesday, to settle this protracted and contentious issue.
The meeting of fishermen ended in stalemate with the Sri Lankan side rejecting a proposal of a three year phase out period by the Indian fishermen associations. During the phase out period the Indian trawlers sought access, 83 days per year, to Sri Lankan territorial waters, Indian Media reported. The Saturday’s meeting was attended by Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, State Minister for Road Transport, Highways & Shipping Mr. P. Radhakrishnan and TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran from the Sri Lankan side and Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh from the Indian side.
The working group will meet every three months. The fisheries Ministers will be invited to meet every six months to discuss and iron out the differences. The delegations in the JWG would include representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, the Coast Guards and Navies of both countries.
Terms of reference of the JWG include ; expediting the transition towards ending the practice of bottom trawling at the earliest; working out the modalities for the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for handing over of apprehended fishermen, and ascertaining possibilities for cooperation on patrolling. The agenda for the first meeting will include release of detained fishing vessels. Both Governments have agreed on the setting up a hotline between the two Coast Guards and to refrain from violence when arresting poachers.
A Joint Working Group on Fisheries between the two countries earlier became defunct in 2012 after four rounds of sittings due to the sensitive nature of the fishing issue.
The Sri Lankan delegation in Delhi is expected to return today.