According to the Sri Lanka President's office, Jaishankar and Wickremesinghe held extensive discussions aimed at enhancing the relationship between India and Sri Lanka and signed three new bilateral agreements to foster greater cooperation between the two countries.
Notably, the statement from Jaishankar came after Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, claimed that the government would permit a Chinese research vessel to dock at Colombo port in October. According to media reports, Shi Yan 6 ship has entered the Indian Ocean.
The two met at the Dubai International Airport and the Bengal CM invited the Lankan President to the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 in Kolkata.
The President has already appointed a team led by a retired Major General to report to the National Security Council for formulating contemporary security policies.
The original Dornier-228 aircraft was gifted by New Delhi to Sri Lanka in August 2022 and has proved crucial in several security operations. It is currently undergoing yearly maintenance in India.
The release of the fishermen comes days after Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's official visit to India.
Wickremesinghe also thanked PM Modi and the Indian government for providing support to Sri Lanka as the country witnessed an intense economic and political crisis last year.
Ranil Wickremesinghe's two-day visit to India comes when both countries are celebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations this year.
Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi noted that Wickremesinghe's visit will further boost the multi-prolonged partnership between India and Sri Lanka.
During the visit, President Wickremesinghe would meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi and other Indian dignitaries on a range of issues of mutual interest, the ministry said.
“The world is evolving and India is undergoing rapid development, particularly under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership”, Wickremesinghe noted.
Interestingly, the country is celebrating its 75th Independence Day on February 4, amid a series of allegations of spending over 300 million Sri Lankan rupees at a time when the country is already seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Wickremesinghe, who also holds the finance ministry portfolio, said that in 2022 overall economic growth was larger than expected at - 8 per cent and in 2023 the growth rate could hover somewhere around - 3.5 per cent to - 4 per cent.
Sri Lanka economic crisis: In its latest assessment, the World Bank has said that Sri Lanka has been ranked 5th with the highest food price inflation in the world.
Sri Lanka can be said to have fallen into a debt trap, sinking deeply into debt before effectively handing over the port’s control to China
The Indian UN representative then V Krishna Menon had helped Wickremesinghe’s father who was then working on behalf of the Sri Lankan government to obtain UN membership.
Sri Lanka crisis: He further said that there is no point in blaming former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the economic crisis but rather urged all political parties to come together to take the country out of the economic mess and repay the debt.
President Droupadi Murmu felicitates Wickremesin: Murmu took over as India’s 15th president, the country’s first tribal head of state and the second woman in the post.
Sri Lanka crisis: Gunawardena's election as Prime Minister comes amid economic turmoil in Sri Lanka, and people protesting against it. On Thursday, Ranil Wickremesinghe was inducted as the President of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka crisis: Wickremesinghe declared an emergency and imposed a curfew in the western province of the country on July 13 as protesters came prepared to face tear gas shelling.
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