ColomboExternal Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and assured them of continued cooperation from the Indian side. Sri Lanka is currently facing an unprecedented economic crisis. Sri Lanka is going through a major economic and energy crisis due to lack of foreign exchange.
India recently gave financial assistance of one billion dollars to Sri Lanka. Jaishankar is here to hold bilateral talks with the country’s top leadership and attend the seven-member BIMSTEC summit.
In conversation with President Gotabaya, Jaishankar reviewed various aspects of the close ties between the two countries. He tweeted, “Glad to meet the President of Sri Lanka, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Reviewed various dimensions of our close relationship. Assured to continue India’s cooperation and understanding.” President Gotabaya expressed his gratitude to the Government of India for giving the loan.
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During the meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda, Jaishankar digitally inaugurated the Jaffna Cultural Center built by India. In another tweet, the minister said, “Thank you Prime Minister Rajapaksa. Following our talks some notable things were done: 1. Agreement for the Support of Buddhist Culture and Heritage was signed. 2. Digitally visited the camp organized in Jaffna on the installation of ‘Jaipur Foot’.
Jaipur foot is a rubber based ‘prosthetic’ foot used for persons who are handicapped below the knee. It was developed in 1968 by Pandit Ramchandra Sharma and orthopedic surgeon PK Sethi. Jaishankar along with Youth and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa also visited the office of HCL Technologies, an information technology company of India.
Earlier, the External Affairs Minister of India met Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and discussed the economic situation of the island nation and the assistance extended by India during the current foreign exchange crisis. He tweeted, “Started the tour by meeting with Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Discussed India’s assistance on the economic situation. We are following the policy of neighbor first.”
Jaishankar’s visit comes at a time when people are openly speaking out against the failure of the Sri Lankan government to deal with the crisis. Jaishankar is here mainly to attend the BIMSTEC summit but officials said he will participate in all-important bilateral talks with Sri Lankan leaders.
Apart from India, BIMSTEC includes Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan. Sri Lanka is the current chair of the ‘Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multilateral Technical and Economic Cooperation’ (BIMSTEC) group. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this summit through digital medium on 30 March. (agency)