Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry on Monday said that Colombo has not given permission to a Chinese vessel to dock, adding that Indian security concerns are "important" for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka denies permission to Chinese 'spy vessel' to dock in Colombo, min says India's concerns important

In the backdrop of the visit of Chinese spy ship, Sri Lankan foreign minister Ali Sabry has said that Indian "Indian sensitivities will be kept in mind" so that it doesn't lead to any "unpleasantries" for both the countries. Speaking exclusively with our diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal from Colombo, FM Sabry said, "Everyone who will be entitled will be known in advance, we will have a known procedure in place so that no one is surprised, so therefore it is important we also have the freedom of navigation in the Indian ocean." The foreign minister lauded New Delhi's role amid the economic crisis his country has been facing pointing to "significant improvement" in the situation. India provided assistance worth 3.8 billion dollars to Sri Lanka to tide over unprecedented economic crisis. FM said," Indian support is very critical to us. India has played a great role in supporting the neighbor in the most difficult time of its history." He also spoke about ties with China, implementation of 13th amendment and Tamil issue, IMF bailout.

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