President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is currently in New York for the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), held meetings with several state leaders and diplomats yesterday.

President Wickremesinghe held a meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday (19) where the two leaders talked about various aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation.

Prime Minister Hasina informed President Wickremesinghe that she was pleased with Sri Lanka’s speedy recovery from the financial crisis, adding that she had not expected Sri Lanka to pay back the loan so fast.

During the discussions, President Wickremesinghe extended his gratitude to Prime Minister Hasina and the people of Bangladesh for their unwavering support and assistance to Sri Lanka during challenging times.

President Wickremesinghe also met with USAID Administrator Samantha Power.

Progress of IMF Programme

The President presented a short briefing on the progress with the IMF programme, while highlighting the Government’s commitment to its successful conclusion.

Ms. Power said that USAID would continue to support Sri Lanka’s recovery efforts, while also making available necessary expertise.

Sri Lanka-Nepal ties

Meanwhile, President Wickremesinghe also met Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of Nepal.

During the meeting, President Wickremesinghe stated that Sri Lanka is keen to expand its longstanding relationship with Nepal into a dynamic political, trade and business partnership by diversifying the areas of cooperation.

He stated that the inaugural session of the Sri Lanka – Nepal Joint Commission that is scheduled to be held at the end of the year in Kathmandu this year, would be an important step.

Prime Minister Dahal stated that there is a close understanding and cooperation between the two countries and expressed confidence that this will be further strengthened in the coming years.