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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reached Colombo on Tuesday on a three-day visit during which he will attend the 23rd Council of Ministers (COM) meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
This is Jaishankar's second visit to Sri Lanka this year. "EAM will attend the 23rd Council of Ministers' (COM) meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on October 11, hosted by Sri Lanka, the current IORA Chair," Ministry of External Affairs said in a release. At the meeting, India will assume the Vice-Chair role of IORA for 2023-25, leading to chairship in 2025-27. The Council of Ministers will review IORA's recent activities and outline future cooperation. "Glad to be back in Colombo. Thank Dr. Suren Raghavan, State Minister for Higher Education for welcoming me. Will be attending the 23rd IORA Council of Ministers meeting," Jaishankar said in a post on X. During the visit, Jaishankar will also have bilateral meetings in Colombo. The External Affairs Minister visited Sri Lanka earlier in January this year, where he met Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and discussed bilateral cooperation, including transport and education. Jaishankar had said that it is natural for India to stand by Sri Lanka during its difficult time. Sri Lanka, which has battled economic difficulties, had in January thanked India for issuing guarantees sought by the IMF for unlocking USD 2.9 billion bailout package. (ANI)
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