India stresses 13th Amendment; provincial polls key for reconciliation

Saturday, 21 January 2023 00:30 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Ranil Wickremesinghe welcomes India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar before bilateral talks between them yesterday

India yesterday stressed that the full implementation of the 13th Amendment and early conduct of Provincial Elections are critical for reconciliation in Sri Lanka especially in the north and east.

“India has always supported both the political and economic stability of Sri Lanka... Our considered view is that the full implementation of the 13th amendment and early conduct of provincial elections are critical in this regard,” the visiting India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar said in Colombo.

“Durable efforts towards reconciliation are in the interests of all sections in Sri Lanka,” said Jaishankar, who also spoke of the need to pay special attention to the requirements of the Indian origin Tamil community.

Jaishankar also handed over Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to President Ranil Wickremesinghe to visit at an early date to discuss how partnership can facilitate Sri Lanka’s strong recovery.

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