Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin on Saturday said the no decision has been taken yet on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Sri Lanka to participate in the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) later this month.
While India would be participating at the preparatory meeting of the CHOGM, the decision regarding the Prime Ministers visit has yet to be taken.
In response to questions, Syed Akbaruddin said: "Decision-making in terms of participation in an international event starts when we receive an invitation, and there are a series of process after that. The process ends when we confirm to the host government the composition of our delegation for an international event. We have not yet done that. "
"We have not yet communicated to the host (Sri Lanka) the outcome of our internal decision making process," he added.
Joint Secretary for United Nations Political Affairs Pavan Kapoor outlined the various meetings of Foreign Ministers and senior officials preceding CHOGM.
"CHOGM, which is scheduled to take place in Colombo, will happen from November 15 to November 17. CHOGM would be preceded by the Foreign Ministers meeting, what is called formally the 'Pre-CHOGM Foreign Ministers meeting of the Commonwealth', which is on November 13 and 14, and that is preceded by meeting of senior officials, what is formally known as the 'Committee of the Whole' on November 11 and 12," he told media here today.
"The theme for CHOGM is 'Growth with equity or inclusive development'. The agenda this time would be a very development oriented agenda," he added.
More From This Section
Akbaruddin also said that External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid would represent India at 'Pre-CHOGM Foreign Ministers meeting.
He further said that Additional Secretary International Organizations Navtej Sarna and Joint Secretary for United Nations Political Affairs Pavan Kapoor would be primary delegates for the 'Committee of the Whole', which would be held on November 11 and 12.
"Khurshid will also be assisted by the two officials Navtej Sarna and Pavan Kapoor, as well as the Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh," he said.
He also said that the External Affairs Minister and the Foreign Secretary would utilize the opportunity, when they are in Sri Lanka, to have discussions on the issue of Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu with their respective counterparts.
"This is an important issue that we have always focused on in our bilateral interactions with Sri Lanka. We see this a humanitarian concern, which needs to be addressed in a humanitarian way," he added.
There has been stiff opposition from the political outfits in Tamil Nadu, including DMK and the AIADMK, over the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Sri Lanka.
The Tamil Nadu assembly unanimously adopted a resolution last month that said India must boycott the session to register its protest against the Sri Lankan government's failure to investigate and punish those who allegedly persecuted the island's ethnic Tamils in the final phase of the civil war that ended in 2009 when the military feared the rebel Tamil Tigers.
Meanwhile, twenty-two Indian fishermen returned to Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu on Friday, after the Sri Lankan Navy handed them over to the Indian Coast Guard.