Sri Lankan President Anura Kumar, during his meeting with PM Modi, said that he assures that we will not allow our land to be used in any way that is harmful to India.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumar Dissanayake is on a visit to India. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in Delhi on 16 December. He said that this is my foreign trip after becoming the President. Anura Kumar Dissanayake said that I am very happy that I could come to Delhi on my first state visit. He said that I have assured the Prime Minister of India that we will not allow our land to be used in any way that is harmful to India. Cooperation with India will definitely grow and I want to assure India of our continued support.
During the joint press conference of both the countries, PM Modi said that ‘I welcome President Dissanayake to India. You have chosen India for your first foreign state visit. This is a matter of great happiness. Today’s journey is creating new momentum and energy in our relations. In economic cooperation between the two countries, we have emphasized on investment-based development and connectivity. We have together decided that physical, digital and energy connectivity will be important pillars of our partnership. Work will be done for electricity grid connectivity and multi petroleum pipeline.
India helped during the economic crisis
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumar Dissanayake said that we faced a major economic crisis about 2 years ago and India fully supported us in coming out of that quagmire. Even after this, India has helped us a lot in the matter of debt relief. Sri Lanka has a very important place in India’s foreign policy. PM Modi assured us of full support and he assured us that he will always protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.
When Pali language was given the status of classical language in India, it was celebrated in Sri Lanka also. Ferry services and Chennai-Jaffna flight connectivity have boosted tourism and strengthened our cultural ties. We have decided that after the successful launch of Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai ferry service, we will now start ferry service between Rameshwaram and Thalaimannar in India.
We fully agree that our security interests are interconnected. We have decided to finalize the defense cooperation agreement soon. There has also been agreement on cooperation on hydrography. We believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important forum for regional peace, security and development. Under this, cooperation will be increased on subjects like maritime security, anti-terrorism, cyber security, fight against smuggling and organized crime, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. People to people relations between India and Sri Lanka are linked to our culture.