India focussing on helping Sri Lanka overcome crisis: Jaishankar

India is focussing on extending all support to Sri Lanka to help the country overcome the present economic crisis, Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar said here on Sunday, adding that the ”answers to Sri Lanka are in Sri Lanka.”

At the moment, the focus is on helping the Sri Lankan society, in association with the International Monetary Fund and other partner countries, to recover economically, Mr. Jaishankar, who is on a three-day visit to the State capital, told reporters.

This year alone, India has committed USD 3.8 billion for supporting Sri Lanka, he said, adding that India has been their biggest supporter. ”Right now they have serious problems. When your neighbour and friend is in difficulty, at this point you have to step up and do what you can. What reforms they have to do, they will discuss with the IMF,” he said.

Across the broad political spectrum in Sri Lanka, there is great appreciation for what India has done to help. India had also extended a line of credit which has kept essential commodities flowing to the country.

Responding to questions, he said that the Gulf countries appreciated the clarifications and the position taken by the Indian government over the remarks made by the then BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammed. In the past eight years, the BJP government has succeeded in developing and strengthening India’s ties with the Gulf countries, he said. “If I were to pick some of the key changes in our foreign policy, I would definitely pick the transformation in this relationship as probably the number one change,” he said.

Oil price

Mr. Jaishankar said the government considers that it is its duty to purchase oil at the lowest price available and ensure that the people are protected from the price increases. ”That is why the Union government has also taken steps to reduce oil prices and it would be good if State governments also pass on some of those benefits to the people,” he said.