Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Wednesday called on Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and said India highly appreciates his statesman-like approach towards national reconciliation.
"Not only Sri Lanka, but we in New Delhi also highly appreciate the speech made by Your Excellency in Parliament last week," Jaishankar said when he paid a courtesy call on the President at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday.
According to the Presidential office, Jaishankar conveyed congratulations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the President's one year in office and said India highly appreciates his statesman-like approach towards national reconciliation.
Sirisena, who was elected last year after his stunning electoral victory over strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, has vowed to achieve lasting peace in Sri Lanka so that all communities can "live as one". He has expressed satisfaction with the reforms he introduced over the past year to achieve national reconciliation, including with minority Tamils.
The President conveyed his greetings to the Indian Premier and said that he has great regards for Modi, with whom he has a personnel bond as well, it said.
"After our close rapport during my visit to New Delhi and Modi's visit to Sri Lanka, we also met at international gatherings such as the UN, CHOGM and Climate Summit in Paris," President Sirisena said.
The President thanked India for the assistance provided in areas such as economic development, rehabilitation and resettlement, railways, power and expansion of the Palali airport and Kankasanthurai port. He said he was looking forward to meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj when she visits Colombo next month to attend the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Meeting.
The President said frequent visits by leaders are helpful not only to strengthen cooperation but also to dispel some media disinformation. Jaishankar, who arrived in Colombo from the Maldives on Tuesday, also met with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Earlier, at a meeting with the main Tamil party TNA, the Foreign Secretary assured them that concerns of the Tamil minority would be conveyed to Prime Minister Modi. Jaishankar held talks with the TNA leader R Sampanthan who is also the leader of the opposition.
The Indian High Commission in a release said the visit was part of the ongoing high level engagements between India and Sri Lanka.
Jaishankar also met former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Foreign Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama and Chitranganee Wagiswara, Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
(PTI)
