S Jaishankar holds talks with Sri Lankan top leadership

“We have concluded a productive visit to Sri Lanka,” S Jaishankar said in an X post.

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar concluded his one-day official visit to Sri Lanka. He said India will always be a “trustworthy friend and a reliable partner” to Sri Lanka. He also shared a video of his visit to Sri Lanka.

In a post on

His visit underlines the central place that Sri Lanka occupies in India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ Policy and SAGAR Vision, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release.

In a press release, the MEA stated: “The visit of the Minister of External Affairs underlines the central place that Sri Lanka occupies in India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ Policy and SAGAR Vision. Following Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and stabilization Lanka, forging deeper long-term economic cooperation was highlighted as a priority for Sri Lanka’s sustainable and equitable growth and mutual prosperity in the Indian Ocean region.”

It was S Jaishankar’s first bilateral visit as External Affairs Minister after his reappointment. His visit to Colombo comes after Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent visit to India to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9.

During his visit, Jaishankar called on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Wickremesinghe received him at the President’s Office in a one-on-one meeting, followed by delegation-level talks that included Sri Lanka’s Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Nimal Siripala de Silva, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Agriculture and Plantation Industries, Mahinda Amaraweera, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry and Sri Lankan Minister for Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera.

Jaishankar also held meetings with his counterpart, External Affairs Minister Ali Sabry. Jaishankar and Wickremesinghe jointly delivered 48 houses under the Model Village Housing Project in Colombo and Trincomalee districts; and 106 houses in Phase III of the Indian Housing Project in Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya districts. In the press release, MEA noted: “In the recent past, EAM has visited Sri Lanka four times in January 2021, March 2022, January 2023 and October 2023.”

MEA stated: “In a testament to the comprehensive and people-centric nature of India-Sri Lanka development cooperation, President Wickremesinghe and EAM jointly handed over 48 houses under the Model Village Housing Project in Colombo and Trincomalee districts; 106 houses in Phase III of the Indian Housing Project in Kandy, Matale and Nuwara Eliya Districts (MRCC), a nerve center for sea search and rescue operations, established with an Indian grant of US$6 million, has also been commissioned together in the virtual ceremony.

In relation to the discussions held between the leadership of the Sri Lankan Government and Mr. Jaishankar, the MEA stated, “EAM’s interaction with the leadership of the Sri Lankan Government provided an opportunity to review and accelerate progress in the multifaceted India- Sri Lanka. One of the main areas of discussion was the Vision Document adopted by President Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the former’s visit to India in July 2023.”

“The discussions gave impetus to ongoing projects, as well as initiatives to promote connectivity in all its dimensions, particularly in the areas of energy, physical infrastructure, as well as economic and interpersonal ties”, he added.

During his visit, Jaishankar also held separate meetings with former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and leaders of various political parties from the North, East and interior region.

Sharing details about his meeting with Sajith Premadasa, he stated, “Nice to meet Opposition Leader @sajithpremadasa and his delegation during my visit to Sri Lanka. Thanks to GL Peiris, @EranWick, Niroshan Perera, Palini Thigambaram @Rauff_Hakeem and V Radhakrishnan for joining in. We appreciate the bipartisan support for a stronger relationship between India and Sri Lanka. An insightful discussion on how to make our partnership even more robust.”

Jaishankar and Mahinda Rajapaksa discussed the current progress of bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

Going to X, Mr. Jaishankar stated, “Happy to visit former President @PresRajapaksa

from Sri Lanka. He discussed the current progress of India-Sri Lanka bilateral cooperation. We appreciate your continued support.”

In a press release, the MEA stated, “Across party lines, a stronger partnership between India and Sri Lanka was seen as beneficial to the continued growth and prosperity of the people of both countries.”

Jaishankar also interacted with the leadership of Tamils ​​of Indian origin. After the meeting, EAM wrote in a post on X: “Interacted with the leadership of Tamils ​​of Indian origin. Thank you @S_Thondaman, @JeevanThondaman, A. Aravindh Kumar, M Rameshwaran, V. Radhakrishnan, Velu Kumar, Udayakumar and Vadivel Suresh for joining. We discussed our development partnership and further cooperation regarding IOTs.”

I concluded a productive visit to Sri Lanka, my first in this new mandate.

We will always be a reliable friend and a reliable partner to our Sri Lankan friends.

Here’s a brief look: pic.twitter.com/3Pe2TExE51

– Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 20, 2024

During his visit, Mr. Jaishankar also met an 8-member delegation of Tamil leaders from the northern and eastern provinces.

Regarding his discussion with the Tamil leaders, Jaishankar stated, “Good meeting with the 8-member delegation of the Tamil Leaders from the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Thank you @ShanakiyanR, @Mavai_S, @MASumanthiran, @ImShritharan, @SAdaikalanathan, Dharmalingam Sithadthan, @CWigneswaran and @skajendren to join Discussed issues relating to development and devolution in their provinces.

(Except the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)