India-Lanka ties getting stronger and stronger: PM Modi

PTI, Oct 20, 2021, 7:12 PM IST

New Delhi: India-Sri Lanka ties are getting stronger and stronger across different sectors and this augurs well for the people of the two nations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday after meeting Lankan minister Namal Rajapaksa.

The two leaders met in Uttar Pradesh’s Kushinagar where the prime minister inaugurated an international airport.

In a tweet, Rajapaksa said the greatest gift Sri Lanka received from India is Buddhism.

“We have always shared a close relationship between our nations and our people! It is the vision of HE President @GotabayaR & HE PM @narendramodi to strengthen this bond between our nations & our people,” the Lankan Cabinet minister said.

Responding to Rajapaksa’s tweet, Modi said, “Happy to have met you in Kushinagar, @RajapaksaNamal. India-Sri Lanka ties are getting stronger and stronger across different sectors. This augurs well for the people of our nations.”

During his meeting with Modi, Rajapaksa also handed over the first copy of the English Sinhala and Tamil translations of the Bhagavad Gita to the prime minister.

“The translation of the sacred text was commissioned by HE @PresRajapaksa as symbol of our people to people friendship and our cultural similarities,” the Lankan minister tweeted.

Responding to Rajapaksa’s tweet, Modi said, “This is a great initiative undertaken by my friend, @PresRajapaksa (Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa). The teachings of Lord Buddha unite our nations and make our planet better.”

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla greeted the Sri Lankan delegation led by Cabinet Minister Rajapaksa with over 100 Buddhist monks and dignitaries, carrying the Holy Buddha Relics for exposition.

Giving a push to the government’s Buddhist tourism circuit initiative, Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the Kushinagar international airport in Uttar Pradesh and said a slew of measures are being taken to boost the country’s aviation sector.