PM Modi Holds Talks with Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday covering wide-ranging discussions on key aspects of the relationship. PM Modi welcomed Wickremesinghe at Hyderabad House for talks that gave an opportunity to lend further momentum to the long-standing ties between the two neighbours.

“PM @narendramodi warmly welcomes President @RW_UNP of Sri Lanka at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. An opportunity to review and lend further momentum to the long-standing-ties, as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations this year,” the Ministry External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

“Bolstering our ties with a close maritime partner. PM Narendra Modi and President @RW_UNP hold bilateral discussions. Talks will focus on promoting mutually beneficial cooperation across sectors and strengthening connectivity in all its dimensions between our two countries,” he added.

In a subsequent tweet, Bagchi said that talks between Modi and Wickremesinghe covered a wide-ranging agenda on energy security, economic and financial linkages, defence & security cooperation, and people-to-people ties.

Wickremesinghe kicked off a two-day visit to India which started on Thursday that is expected to impart new momentum in bilateral ties.

India provided financial assistance amounting to approximately USD 4 billion to Sri Lanka, including lines of credit for purchasing food and fuel, during the economic crisis last year. New Delhi has also offered guarantees to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to support the country in securing a USD 2.9 billion bailout package.

On the first day of his visit, Sri Lankan president was called on by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. They discussed various bilateral issues between the two countries.

At the weekly media briefing on the same day, MEA Spokesperson Bagchi said it is the first visit to India by a Sri Lankan leader since the island nation reeled under an economic crisis. “We Look forward to the visit to impart a new momentum to the relationship,” he said.

During the briefing, Bagchi described the visit of the Sri Lankan leader as “very important”. “This is a very important visit. It (Sri Lanka) is a neighbouring country with whom we have very important and multi-faceted relations. I do not want to prejudge the conversations that will happen,” Bagchi said.

The MEA spokesperson said India has discussed with Sri Lanka the issues of closer economic cooperation including how Indian economic growth can benefit the island nation. He also identified security issues, development cooperation and new projects as areas of engagement, adding India helped Sri Lanka to address its economic problems.

(With PTI inputs)