NEW DELHI, 09 February 2022, (TON): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has conveyed to his Sri Lankan counterpart GL Peiris that Colombo's interests are best served by ensuring equality, justice and respect for the Tamil people within a united Sri Lanka.

He called for expeditiously taking forward mutually beneficial projects including the ones to enhance air and sea connectivity.

In his talks with Peiris in New Delhi on Monday, Mr Jaishankar also talked about the need for keeping the shared maritime domain safe from various contemporary threats and assured that India would always stand by the island nation in its times of need, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

The MEA said on Tuesday that both sides reiterated the longstanding consensus to handle the fishermen issue through a humanitarian approach and refrain from the use of violence in dealing with incidents along the international maritime boundary line.

It said the Sri Lankan foreign minister expressed gratitude for India's recent assistance and updated the external affairs minister on the steps taken by the government of Sri Lanka on human rights and reconciliation.

In the talks, Mr Jaishankar also said that "devolution of power" is an important aspect of the Tamil reconciliation process.