NEW DELHI: Continuing Neighborhood Engagement, Chancellor S Jaishankar He will travel to Sri Lanka on an official visit on Tuesday. An official statement said: “He will hold talks with his counterpart and the Sri Lankan leadership on the full range of bilateral relations.”
Jaishankar was one of the first to congratulate Dinesh Gunawardane when he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Mahinda Rajapaksacabinet. He was also the first to land on Colombo to greet the new government after the polls.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held the first virtual summit with his counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa in September. The MEA statement read: “This will be EAM’s first overseas visit in 2021, and also the first by a foreign dignitary to Sri Lanka in the New Year. As such, it signifies the priority that both countries give to strengthening ties in all spheres of mutual interest ”.
In recent months, Rajapaksa has shown signs that it could revive the close ties it had with China. India is seeking a go-ahead for its large projects in Lanka, which were not carried out even during the years of Maithripala Sirisena.
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