Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on the concluding day of his Sri Lanka visit met President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday and underscored the importance of projects including proposals to enhance air and sea connectivity between both countries. During the meeting, Foreign Secretary also thanked President for close cooperation in the defence and security sphere, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
Further, Shringla reiterated India’s position on complete implementation of the provisions under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, including devolution of powers and the holding of Provincial Council elections at the earliest, the statement said.
On Monday, Shringla had also called on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and had a discussion on further consolidating the multifaceted partnership between the two countries. Foreign Secretary also travelled to Kandy, Trincomalee and Jaffna, signifying their cultural, economic and historical importance.
In Kandy, Foreign Secretary offered prayers at Sri Dalada Maligawa and in Trincomalee, Foreign Secretary visited the Oil Tank Farms, a symbol of the potential and strong energy partnership between India and Sri Lanka. This was Shringla’s first visit to Sri Lanka in his current capacity. During the visit, Foreign Secretary also held meetings with the political groups that represent Sri Lankan Tamils in the country and reiterated India’s commitment to protecting the rights of the minority community in the country.
He met with the delegations of Tamil National Alliance, Tamil Progressive Alliance and Ceylon Workers’ Congress and emphasized India’s commitment to protect the rights of Tamils through full implementation of the 13th amendment.
