Colombo, June 15 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will visit Sri Lanka this month to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s likely visit in August, the island nation’s Foreign Minister said, according to media reports.
Sri Lankan news portal EconomyNext reported that Jaishankar’s visit was confirmed when President Ranil Wickremesinghe was in New Delhi last week at Modi’s oath taking as the third term prime minister.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said Modi’s invitation to Wickremesinghe at his swearing in is an indication that India wants to work closely with the neighbours.
“We want to build on that momentum,” Sabry told reporters at a media briefing in Colombo.
“We feel that we want to continue to work with Indians in their investment area, people-to-people contact, tourism, and also connectivity like electricity as well as land and other connectivity areas of sea, air, and other modes of it.”
“I can confirm that the external affairs minister of India Dr. Jaishankar is expected to be in Colombo one of these days in this month.”
“He is coming here just to review ongoing partnerships in various areas – renewable energy, tourism, partnership between the central banks, and partnership between the Finance Ministries and also to prepare for an upcoming visit of Prime Minister Modi.”
Government sources say Modi is likely to visit Sri Lanka in August.
