Katchatheevu agreement
Topic: India's External Relations, 1947-1999: Non-alignment, Wars and Nuclear Policy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Katchatheevu agreement was signed in 1974 between India and Sri Lanka. Under it, India accepted Sri Lanka's sovereignty, meaning its ownership and control, over Katchatheevu, a small island in the Palk Strait. A later agreement in 1976 barred fishermen of each country from fishing in the other's waters. These agreements are the root of today's disputes over Indian fishermen.
Example
Fishermen from Tamil Nadu who fish near Katchatheevu are often arrested by Sri Lanka for entering its waters. This keeps the 1974 and 1976 agreements a live political issue.
Don't confuse with
- Shastri-Sirimavo Pact (1964): this pact dealt with stateless people of Indian origin in Sri Lanka. It did not deal with territory or fishing.
Related concepts
- India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty
- India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship
- Shastri-Sirimavo Pact
- Indo-Sri Lanka Accord
- Indian Peace Keeping Force
- Operation Cactus
- Ganga Waters Treaty
- Indira Doctrine
- Gujral Doctrine