Foreign Secretary Shringla concludes his crucial visit to Sri Lanka

Shringla is on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka, that began on Saturday, to review the bilateral ties between India and the island nation.

Colombo:In a fresh boost to India-Sri Lanka ties, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla on Tuesday finally concluded a productive 3-day visit to Sri Lanka involving notable engagements in Colombo, Kandy, Trincomalee and Jaffna. His visit to the island nation is seen as an attempt to reset ties between India and Sri Lanka and provided further impetus to the bilateral ties between both nations.

Earlier today, Shringla called on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Both the leaders reaffirmed the strong ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Sri Lanka and discussed ways to further advance this comprehensive partnership at all levels.

Shringla was on a four-day visit to Sri Lanka that began on Saturday, to review the bilateral ties between India and the island nation.

The Foreign Secretary also interacted with the Indian High Commission officers at the Mission premises today (Tuesday).

"Team HCI is truly grateful for his words of encouragement and support," the Indian High Commission in Colombo said in another tweet.

On Monday, Shringla had a productive discussion with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on further consolidating the multifaceted bilateral partnership.

FS Shringla called on Foreign Minister Prof GL Peiris to discuss bilateral ties in all spheres. Discussions focused on the early conclusion of projects proposals and enhancing connectivity that would help accelerate Sri Lanka’s economic recovery.

The Foreign Secretary also met his Sri Lankan counterpart Admiral (Retd) Prof. Jayanath Colombage to review bilateral cooperation.

He also held a detailed discussion with Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa on India-Sri Lanka economic & commercial ties and post-pandemic economic recovery by taking forward joint projects of mutual benefit.

It is worth noting that during his meeting with leaders from the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) and Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), Shringla reaffirmed India’s commitment to safeguarding the rights and interests of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority community.

Indian has been urging the Sri Lankan government to fulfil its commitments to protect the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the island nation’s character as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

Notably, India has been pressing Sri Lanka to implement the 13th amendment which was passed after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement was signed between Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J.R. Jayewardene which stated the devolution of powers to the provinces.

Many experts viewed Shringla’s visit as a signal of India’s willingness to reach out to Sri Lanka to bolster ties in the face of the growing ties between the island nation and China.