External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday, June 20, 2024, his first visit here in his second consecutive term in office, during which he will hold talks with the country's leadership to bolster bilateral ties.
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Mr. Jaishankar was received by Tharaka Balasuriya, State Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Senthil Thondaman, Governor of the Eastern Province, on his arrival in Colombo.
"Landed in Colombo for my first visit in the new term. Thank Minister of State @TharakaBalasur1 and Governor of Eastern province @S_Thondaman for the warm welcome. Look forward to my meetings with the leadership," Mr. Jaishankar posted on X.
Sri Lanka is central to India's Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies, he wrote.
Mr. Jaishankar and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe jointly unveiled the virtual plaque to mark the formal commissioning of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) in Sri Lanka under a $6 million grant from India, according to the Presidential Media Division Colombo.
This includes a centre at Navy headquarters in Colombo, a sub-centre in Hambantota and unmanned installations at Galle, Arugambay, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kallarawa, Point Pedro and Mollikulam, said the statement.
Mr. WickremesingheDr. Jaishankar jointly unveiled the virtual plaque for 106 houses in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Matale under the Indian Housing Project with 24 houses in each model village in Colombo and Trincomalee being handed over virtually.
Neighbourhood-first policy
Under its 'Neighbourhood First' policy, India is committed to developing friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all its neighbours.
SAGAR or Security and Growth for All in the Region is India's vision and geopolitical framework of maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.
The trip to Sri Lanka will be Mr. Jaishankar's standalone bilateral visit after he assumed charge as the External Affairs Minister for the second term on June 11.
Mr. Jaishankar was last week part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's delegation at the G7 Outreach summit in Italy's Apulia region.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi said the External Affairs Minister will have meetings with the Sri Lankan leadership on wide-ranging issues.
"This will be the External Affairs Minister's first bilateral visit after the formation of the new government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi," it said.
"Reaffirming India's Neighbourhood First Policy, the visit underlines India's continued commitment to Sri Lanka as its closest maritime neighbour and time-tested friend," the MEA said in a statement.
"The visit will add momentum to connectivity projects and other mutually beneficial cooperation across sectors," it said.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was among seven top leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Union Council of Ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9.
(With inputs from PTI)
