COLOMBO -- India's diplomatic patience is bearing fruit in Sri Lanka after the South Asian power signed a deal with its weaker southern neighbor to rehabilitate a majority of 85 abandoned giant oil tanks on the slopes of Trincomalee Harbor, the world's second-deepest natural port and one that New Delhi has been coveting for over 30 years.
The deal, which was finalized during a flurry of diplomatic activity around the beginning of the year, is being flagged within Sri Lanka's foreign policy circles as the latest barometer showing warmer ties between countries with a checkered diplomatic history. That history has recently paved the way for China to make inroads into the South Asian island, giving India security concerns along its southern flank.
