Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa embarks on 4-day state visit to India


PTI, Feb 7, 2020, 4:59 PM IST

Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday embarked on a four-day state visit to India where he would hold talks on a number of key areas including trade, defence and maritime security cooperation.

The visit, beginning February 7, is the Rajapaksa senior’s first overseas trip since his brother Gotabaya was elected President in November.

Prime Minister Mahinda left for India a short while ago on a four-day state visit on the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, Daily Mirror newspaper reported.

He will have meetings with President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

“The scheduled meetings will build on the strong relationship that already exists between the two countries,” Mahinda’s office said in a statement on Thursday.

Mahinda hopes to finalise the implementation of the USD 450 million lines of credit pledged by Prime Minister Modi to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa during his visit to New Delhi in November, according to the statement.

“With the aim of enhancing engagement in sub-regional maritime security cooperation, the two delegations are expected to discuss key areas under the defence and maritime security initiatives that include the Sri Lanka-India annual defence dialogue and the trilateral maritime security cooperation with India and the Maldives,” it said.

Rajapaksa also intends to visit the religious sites of Varanasi, Sarnath, Bodhgaya and Tirupathi, it said.

Two Tamil ministers in the Rajapaksa government Douglas Devananda from the north and Armugam Thondaman from the central tea plantation districts — are expected to be in the 10-member delegation, the statement added.

Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.

Top News

Woman dies after being hit by luxury car driven by ‘drunk’ youth in Karnataka

MLA Bharat Shetty condemns attack on Edneer Math Swamiji’s vehicle in Kerala

‘Idiot’: Former Canadian Sikh minister slams Justin Trudeau over Khalistan issue

Salman Khan gets another threat, asked to cough up Rs 5 cr

Canadian cop suspended for attending pro-Khalistan protest outside Hindu temple

Rahul Gandhi to attend caste census meeting in Hyderabad today

Udupi: Gas cylinder explosion during party causes extensive damage in apartment

Related Articles More

Rahul Gandhi to attend caste census meeting in Hyderabad today

FIR against Sanjay Raut’s brother for remarks against Shiv Sena’s woman leader

In-flight passengers can access WiFi services only when allowed, say new rules

Balasore tragedy result of composite negligence of railway officials: Orissa High Court

Three convicted for 2016 Kollam collectorate blast case

MUST WATCH

Gho Pooja in Deepavali Festival

Melukote Deepavali

Ganapathi Co-operative Society Ltd

Udayavani Chinnara Banna 2024

Annapoorna Aahar | Food Places In Mysore


Latest Additions

Woman dies after being hit by luxury car driven by ‘drunk’ youth in Bengaluru

Woman dies after being hit by luxury car driven by ‘drunk’ youth in Karnataka

Mangaluru: Coastal K’taka professionals shine globally, says MResult CEO Chandrashekhar Naik

MLA Bharat Shetty condemns attack on Edneer Math Swamiji’s vehicle in Kerala

‘Idiot’: Former Canadian Sikh minister slams Justin Trudeau over Khalistan issue

Thanks for visiting Udayavani

You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.