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Sri Lankan Minister of Justice, Prisons Affairs and Constitutional Reforms Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe along with his family offered prayers at the Tirupati Balaji Temple in Tirumala on Sunday.
Earlier this month, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe thanked India for helping the country during its two difficult years while speaking at the 31st All India Partners' Meet 2024 convened in Colombo by KPMG in India. He said, "Having now survived two difficult years, I must acknowledge that this was possible because India gave us a loan of USD 3.5 billion." He affirmed his commitment to maintaining a strong partnership with India to achieve the country's development. He emphasised the urgency of expediting joint initiatives between both countries. Wickremesinghe said the government will introduce policies aimed at achieving economic transformation by moving towards a highly competitive, digital, green and export-oriented economy, adding that these policies will establish benchmarks for foreign investments in the country. He stressed to work collectively with India in the field of energy, aiming to foster new development in the Northern region. The northern region of the country has been deeply affected by three decades of conflict. On June 20, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was on a one-day official visit to Sri Lanka. He said that India will always be a "reliable friend and a dependable partner" for Sri Lanka. He also shared a video of glimpses of his visit to Sri Lanka. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Concluded a productive visit to Sri Lanka, my first in this new term. We will always be a reliable friend and a dependable partner for our Sri Lankan friends." His visit underscores the central place that Sri Lanka occupies in India's 'Neighbourhood 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 External Affairs Minister underscores the central place Sri Lanka occupies in India's 'Neighbourhood First' Policy and SAGAR Vision. Following Sri Lanka's economic recovery and stabilization, forging deeper long-term economic cooperation was underlined as a priority for sustainable and equitable growth of Sri Lanka, and mutual prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region." During his visit, Jaishankar called on Sri Lanka's 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 Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry and Sri Lanka's Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera. Jaishankar also held meetings with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry. It was S Jaishankar's first bilateral visit as External Affairs Minister after his re-appointment. His visit to Colombo comes after Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe's recent visit to India to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9. (ANI)
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