Foreign Minister Ravi K calls on Indian PM

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ravi Karunanayake yesterday called on India ‘s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Prime Minister recalled his productive and memorable visit to Sri Lanka on occasion of the International Vesak Day last month and congratulated Karunanayake on taking over his new responsibility as Foreign Minister, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Prime Minister further conveyed condolences on the loss of lives and destruction caused by the recent floods and landslides in Sri Lanka. He reaffirmed India’s readiness to continue assisting Sri Lanka in this regard.

Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake thanked Prime Minister for quick Indian assistance in the aftermath of the floods and landslides. He conveyed the commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka to continue strengthening the close partnership with India.

A Hindu report said Karunanayake is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar.

The visit is aimed at taking ongoing bilateral negotiations between India and Sri Lanka forward, officials in Colombo said. This is Karunanayake’s first overseas visit after he assumed duties as Foreign Minister last month, following a major Cabinet reshuffle.

His New Delhi visit comes less than a month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka, termed largely a “ceremonial visit”.

In April, during Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi, the two countries signed an overarching Memorandum of Understanding in New Delhi, for cooperation in the energy and development sectors. India and Sri Lanka are also currently negotiating an Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA).