Sri Lanka reiterated Sunday that it has close relations with both India and China, as both countries played a crucial role in the island nation's development.
"We have a foreign policy which is not based on exclusivity. We do not make choices between countries," said Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Gamini Peiris, in an interview to The Sunday Leader, which was cited by Xinhua in a report.
"Both countries (India and China) have helped us. They have invested and participated in the development of infrastructure," Peiris said adding that "We have excellent relations with both countries".
Sri Lanka has seen a boost in its ties with India and China in recent years, particularly as some Western countries, led by the US, look to hold the Mahinda Rajapaksa government responsible for human rights abuses during the final stages of the 30-year civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels, the report noted.
The Sri Lankan foreign minister blamed some Western diplomats in Sri Lanka for "crossing the line," saying it was wrong for foreign missions to associate with elements involved in criminal activities against the interests of Sri Lanka.
