Colombo: Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla Saturday began Shree’s four-day tour Lanka During this he will meet the top leadership including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Prime Minister. Mahinda Rajapakse, and review the bilateral relations between India and the island nation.
Shringla arrived today at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Jaynath ColombesForeign Ministry said on Saturday.
“The visit will contribute to the long-standing multi-faceted relationship and enhance the bilateral partnership between the two countries,” the ministry said in a press release.
Shringla will also visit the central district of Kandy, the eastern port district of Trincomalee and the northern city of Jaffna.
This is his first visit to Lanka after taking over as Foreign Secretary in January last year.
The Indian High Commission said here on Friday that Shringla’s visit will provide an opportunity to review bilateral ties, progress of ongoing bilateral projects and ongoing cooperation to deal with the disruptions related to COVID-19.
His visit comes days after Ahmedabad-headquartered Indian multinational conglomerate Adani Group entered into an agreement with the Lanka government-owned Port Authority to develop Colombo Port’s West International Container Terminal.
The Lankan government has said that the USD 700 million build-operate-transfer deal is the largest ever foreign investment in the port sector of the island nation.
Announcing Shringla’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that Lanka holds a central place in India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy and Shringla’s visit reflects the importance that the two countries hold in all areas of mutual interest. To strengthen your close and cordial relations. .
His visit comes at a time when Lanka is facing financial crunch and he is likely to assess whether India can extend any assistance to the island nation to tide over the situation.
It is learned that matters related to the construction of the Western Container Terminal at Colombo Port may also come up during Foreign Secretary’s visit to the neighboring country.
In his conversation in Colombo, Shringla It is also expected to reiterate India’s views on the long pending Tamil issue.
India has consistently called upon Sri Lanka to fulfill its commitments to safeguard the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the character of the island nation as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.
The Tamil community in Sri Lanka has been demanding the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which provides for the transfer of power to them. The 13th amendment was brought after the India-Sri Lanka accord of 1987.
Shringla arrived today at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Jaynath ColombesForeign Ministry said on Saturday.
“The visit will contribute to the long-standing multi-faceted relationship and enhance the bilateral partnership between the two countries,” the ministry said in a press release.
Shringla will also visit the central district of Kandy, the eastern port district of Trincomalee and the northern city of Jaffna.
This is his first visit to Lanka after taking over as Foreign Secretary in January last year.
The Indian High Commission said here on Friday that Shringla’s visit will provide an opportunity to review bilateral ties, progress of ongoing bilateral projects and ongoing cooperation to deal with the disruptions related to COVID-19.
His visit comes days after Ahmedabad-headquartered Indian multinational conglomerate Adani Group entered into an agreement with the Lanka government-owned Port Authority to develop Colombo Port’s West International Container Terminal.
The Lankan government has said that the USD 700 million build-operate-transfer deal is the largest ever foreign investment in the port sector of the island nation.
Announcing Shringla’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said that Lanka holds a central place in India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy and Shringla’s visit reflects the importance that the two countries hold in all areas of mutual interest. To strengthen your close and cordial relations. .
His visit comes at a time when Lanka is facing financial crunch and he is likely to assess whether India can extend any assistance to the island nation to tide over the situation.
It is learned that matters related to the construction of the Western Container Terminal at Colombo Port may also come up during Foreign Secretary’s visit to the neighboring country.
In his conversation in Colombo, Shringla It is also expected to reiterate India’s views on the long pending Tamil issue.
India has consistently called upon Sri Lanka to fulfill its commitments to safeguard the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the character of the island nation as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.
The Tamil community in Sri Lanka has been demanding the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which provides for the transfer of power to them. The 13th amendment was brought after the India-Sri Lanka accord of 1987.
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