President Ranil Wickremesinghe returned to the island on Friday night (July 21) after concluding his official two-day visit to India.
This was his first visit to the neighbouring country after taking office in 2022.
Accompanied by a 17-member delegation, Wickremesinghe departed for New Delhi on Thursday (July 20) at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The visit took place as both countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.
During the course of his visit, the Sri Lankan leader engaged in bilateral with his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and several other top Indian dignitaries in New Delhi, including billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister Dr. S.Jaishankar on a wide range of matters of mutual interest.
The Indian president told President Wickremesinghe that New Delhi’s prolonged support to Sri Lanka in the past year to tide over the economic challenges is a testament to its long-standing commitment to bilateral relations with the island nation.
President Murmu said that India’s partnership is enduring and beneficial to the common people of the two countries and the larger Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and that India looks forward to continuing and strengthening its developmental partnership with Sri Lanka under the leadership of President Wickremesinghe.
Delivering a joint statement with PM Modi following their bilateral talks, President Wickremesinghe expressed his sincere gratitude to the government and people of India for their continued support during Sri Lanka’s most difficult times in recent history.
Commending the impressive economic, infrastructure, and technological advancements made under PM Modi’s leadership, President Wickremesinghe emphasised that India’s growth would have positive impacts on both, the neighbouring countries and the Indian Ocean region.
Meanwhile, PM Modi appealed to the Sri Lankan leader to implement the 13th Amendment and ensure a life of “dignity and respect” for the island nation’s Tamil population.
He also announced a package of INR 75 crores for various development projects in the northern and eastern part of Sri Lanka.
During President Wickremesinghe’s visit, Sri Lanka and India adopted a vision document for our Economic Partnership. “This vision is to strengthen the maritime, air, energy and people-to-people connectivity between the people of both the countries. The vision is to accelerate mutual cooperation in tourism, power, trade, higher education and skill development. This is the vision – of India’s long-term commitment towards Sri Lanka,” PM Modi said.
To this end, the two sides agreed to work together for the establishment of a multi-product petroleum pipeline from the southern part of India to Sri Lanka, in a bid to ensure an affordable and reliable supply of energy resources to Sri Lanka.
Accordingly, it was also decided to undertake mutually agreed joint exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Sri Lanka’s offshore basins with an aim to develop Sri Lanka’s upstream petroleum sector.
The resumption of passenger ferry services between Nagapattinam in India and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka and Rameshwaram and Talaimannar, and other mutually agreed places, was alos discussed.
The two leaders agreed to further develop Trincomalee as a national and regional hub of industry, energy and economic activity on the basis of mutual understanding.
In addition, Sri Lanka and India also signed five key Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on (1) animal husbandry and dairying, (2) cooperation in the field of renewable energy, (3) cooperation for economic development projects in Trincomalee District, (4) Unified Payments Interface (UPI) acceptance in Sri Lanka, and (5) energy permit for Sampur Solar Power Project.
The signed agreements were exchanged in the presence of the Indian PM and the Sri Lankan President.
The marking of postal votes for the 2025 Local Government (LG) elections commences today (April 24).
648,495 eligible voters expected to cast their postal votes over the four designated days – April 24, 25, 28, and 29.
The commission emphasized that no extensions will be granted beyond these 04 days.
Elections Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake reaffirmed that the time frame for postal voting is final and urged all eligible voters to make use of the given dates.
The Police Headquarters has issued a directive to all officers across the island to monitor individuals wearing helmets suspiciously, especially when not riding motorcycles.
The directive follows a series of serious crimes where suspects were seen using full-face helmets to conceal their identities.
While wearing a helmet is a legal requirement for both motorcycle riders and pillion passengers, Sri Lanka Police stress that its purpose is strictly for road safety.
Accordingly, officers have been advised to check the belongings of any individual observed wearing a helmet while not riding a motorcycle, especially if they appear to be acting suspiciously.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday that the talks between the Sri Lankan delegation and US officials regarding reciprocal tariffs have yielded positive results, and both nations are anticipated to issue a joint statement soon.
“Our delegation, including Deputy Finance Minister has engaged in discussions with the relevant US authorities. I have been informed that these discussions have been productive, and both parties are anticipated to issue a joint statement soon,” he said.
The Sri Lankan delegation departed for the United States to engage in discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the Extended Fund Facility programme, as well as to have discussion with US government officials about the recent reciprocal tariffs placed on Sri Lankan exports to the United States.
Addressing an election rally in Ratnapura in support of the NPP candidates contesting the upcoming Local Government Election in the Ratnapura District, the President stated that his Government is committed to establishing a strong economy in the country. “Should the economy of our country falter as a result of decisions made by another country, or due to conflict or a pandemic occurring elsewhere, it indicates a lack of stability and independence in our economic system. Our objective is to establish an economy resilient enough to withstand such external challenges,” he said.
The President added that his Government has managed to stabilise the country’s economy to some extent following an unprecedented crisis, maintaining the value of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar at Rs. 300 for the last six months.
“There are no shortages of goods and services in the country, and the rupee’s value has remained unchanged against the dollar for the past six months. This indicates that the economy is now stable,” he added.
The President noted that the year 2025 is expected to witness the highest influx of tourists to the country, and his Government is actively working on developing new tourist attractions, including Yapahuwa and Trincomalee.
“Anuradhapura City will be revitalised, emphasising the importance of our cultural, religious, and irrigation heritage, with assistance from the Indian government,” he added.
President Dissanayake noted that export revenues are anticipated to rise this year. The President remarked that the people made the NPP victorious as they wanted a change from an administration that had not fulfilled the public’s expectations for 70 years. “The people wanted to end this vicious political cycle,” he said.
Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Prof. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi also spoke.
(dailynews.lk)
(This story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)
