New Delhi, Sep 24 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that he was looking forward to a virtual meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa aimed at strengthening ties between the two neighbours.
Slated for September 26, it will be the first meeting between Mr Modi and Mr Rajapaksha after the change of government in the island nation. 'Thank you, PresRajapaksa! I too look forward to jointly reviewing our bilateral relationship comprehensively. We must explore ways to further enhance our cooperation in the post-COVID era (sic),' Mr Modi wrote on his official twitter handle.
On Wednesday, Mr Rajapaksha said he will be meeting Mr Modi to review the multifaceted bilateral relationship.
"Looking forward to interacting with PM @narendramodi at the virtual summit scheduled for 26th September. We expect to review the multifaceted bilateral relationship between our nations, ranging from politics, economics, defense, tourism and other areas of mutual interest," the Sri Lankan Prime Minister tweeted.
The summit is expected to give an opportunity to the two leaders to comprehensively review the broad framework of the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
This August, Sri Lanka went for parliamentary elections in which President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brother Rajapaksa were elected by an overwhelming majority.
The island nation's economy is severely battered after Easter terror attacks and COVID-19 pandemic. Sri Lanka, a strategically important nation to India, is also under debt of Chinese companies. Tamils, a minority in Budhist majority nation, are still waiting for equal rights and rehabilitation even 11 years after the end of civil war.
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