- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Pramod Thomas
AS the threat from China mounts India is all set to woo its southern neighbour.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa will hold a virtual bilateral summit on Saturday(26).
The event assumes significance as India faces increasing threat from China, a major investor in the island-nation.
Indian ministry of external affairs on Wednesday (23) said the summit will give an opportunity to the two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship.
The ministry said that the two leaders are expected to deliberate on a host of issues like ways to further deepen anti-terror cooperation, boost overall defence and trade ties as well as implementation of India’s development projects in Sri Lanka.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the long-pending Tamil issue in Sri Lanka as well.
India has been pitching for fulfilling the aspirations of the Tamil community in the island nation.
“The virtual bilateral summit will give an opportunity to the two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship soon after the Parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka and in the context of the time-tested friendly ties between the two countries,” a statement from the ministry said.
Last month, Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lankan prime minister for a fresh term after his party, Sri Lanka People’s Front, secured a two-thirds majority in the parliamentary polls.
His brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa is the president of Sri Lanka.
