June 20th 2024.
In a significant step towards strengthening bilateral ties, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe jointly inaugurated the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre on Thursday. This centre was built with a generous grant of $6 million from India, highlighting the close cooperation between the two key neighbouring countries.
During his visit, Minister Jaishankar also met with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and reaffirmed India's strong support through various development and connectivity initiatives. He conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discussed the way forward for bilateral cooperation, particularly in areas such as power, energy, connectivity, port infrastructure, aviation, digital technology, health, food security, education, and tourism.
Expressing his honour to call upon President Wickremesinghe, Minister Jaishankar shared his appreciation for the progress made on various bilateral projects and initiatives. He also commended the guidance of President Wickremesinghe in strengthening India-Sri Lanka cooperation and expressed his commitment to further enhance the traditionally close and friendly ties between the two nations.
The two leaders met at the Sri Lankan President's House, where they jointly unveiled a virtual plaque to mark the official commissioning of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. This centre, along with a sub-centre in Hambantota and unmanned installations in multiple locations, will play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of maritime activities in Sri Lanka.
Minister Jaishankar shared the virtual commissioning ceremony on social media, mentioning his participation along with Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe, ministers, and senior officials. He also highlighted the virtual handing over of 154 houses under the Indian housing schemes, with 106 houses in Kandy, N'Eliya, and Matale and 24 houses in each model village in Colombo and Trincomalee.
Later, Minister Jaishankar called on Prime Minister Gunawardena and reaffirmed India's strong support through development and connectivity initiatives. He expressed confidence that India's development assistance and capacity building programs will continue to benefit the people of Sri Lanka.
During his visit, Minister Jaishankar will also review the progress of all ongoing Indian projects in Sri Lanka. He is expected to discuss the preliminary arrangements for Prime Minister Modi's upcoming visit to the island nation.
Upon his arrival in Colombo, Minister Jaishankar was warmly welcomed by State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya and Governor of the Eastern Province Senthil Thondaman. He expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and looked forward to his meetings with the leadership.
Minister Jaishankar emphasized the importance of Sri Lanka in India's Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies. Under the Neighbourhood First policy, India is committed to fostering friendly and mutually beneficial relations with all its neighbours. SAGAR, which stands for Security and Growth for All in the Region, is India's vision and geopolitical framework for maritime cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.
This visit marks Minister Jaishankar's first standalone bilateral visit since assuming charge as the external affairs minister for the second term. He was also part of Prime Minister Modi's delegation at the G7 Outreach summit in Italy last week.
It is worth mentioning that President Wickremesinghe was among the seven top leaders from India's neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Union Council of Ministers at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9.
The last time Minister Jaishankar visited Colombo was in October 2023 to participate in the 23rd Council of Ministers' meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. This further reflects the strong ties between India and Sri Lanka and the importance of regular high-level exchanges to further strengthen cooperation between the two nations.
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