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Foreign Secretary visits Jaffna Cultural Centre, briefed about development of Palaly airport

Foreign Secretary visits Jaffna Cultural Centre, briefed about development of Palaly airport

Colombo/New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday visited the Jaffna Cultural Centre built with Indian grant assistance and was also briefed about the development of Palaly Airport that India is helping to develop.

In a series of tweets, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka said: “Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla visited the iconic Jaffna Cultural Centre built with Indian grant assistance. The iconic, state of the art cultural centre will help people of Northern Province reconnect with their roots and in nurturing our shared cultural heritage."

Earlier, on his arrival at Jaffna he was extended a warm welcome by the Indian Consul General in Jaffna Raakesh Natraj and Chairman of the Northern Provincial Council .C.V.K. Sivagnanam.

“Officials from Civil Aviation Authority briefed FS about the development & rehabilitation of Palaly Airport,” the Indian High Commission tweeted.

In March 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to Jaffna laid the foundation stone for the Cultural Centre project, built using an Indian grant of Rs 1.6 billion, and construction began in 2016.

The Cultural Centre is to be used for training, instruction and education in a variety of cultural disciplines. The Centre has a theatre-style auditorium (with projection facilities) for over 500 persons, a multi-media library with online research facilities, exhibition and gallery space and a museum.

It also has an instructional wing, with facilities to conduct classes in vocal and instrumental music, dance and languages, including a language lab. It has a conference hall-cum-seminar room.
India and Sri Lanka inked an agreement to develop Jaffna's Palaly airport in the Tamil-dominated Northern province in February 2020, under a grant of 300 million Sri Lankan rupees (Rs 11.83 crore) .

As part of the MoU, the facilities at the airport such as terminal modification, electricity supplies, utility services and transit facilities are to be improved.

Experts from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are involved in the development of the airport.

Palaly Airport was converted into an international airport with the landing of an inaugural Alliance Air flight from Chennai on October 17, 2019. It is the fifth airport in the island after the airports in Colombo, Ratmalana, Batticaloa and Hambantota.

Earlier, Foreign Secretary Shringla visited the Oil Tank Farms at Trincomalee, which are run by Indian oil major Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)’s subsidiary, the Lanka IOC, where he was briefed about the possibilities of further strengthening the India-Sri Lanka energy partnership.

The Indian High Commission tweeted that Foreign Secretary Shringla was briefed about the development undertaken at the Lower Tank Farms of the project, located in the port city of Trincomalee, in the northeast coast.

“Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla visited the Oil Tank Farms at Trincomalee today. LIOC briefed him about the development undertaken at the Lower Tank Farms and the possibilities for further strengthening India-Sri Lanka energy partnership to enhance SL’s energy security,” it tweeted.

He also paid a visit to the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple in Kandy, capital of the Central Province, and prayed at the revered temple.
The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted a photo of the Foreign Secretary praying at the revered Sri Dalada Maligawa temple, also known as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in the city of Kandy. He was received by the head priest of the temple.
“Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla begins his visit by seeking blessings at Sri Dalada Maligawa. He was received warmly by Hon'ble Diyawadana Nilame of the temple,” the tweet said.
A Google translation from Sinhalese of another tweet by the Indian HC said, Shringla prayed for the welfare and prosperity of the Sri Lankan people and also that the centuries-old ties between India and Sri Lanka be further strengthened.
The Sri Dalada Maligawa temple, in a tweet, said that the Indian Foreign Secretary “visited the temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic today (October 03) to pay his respect and to obtain blessings."
Shringla arrived at the Katuayake International airport on Saturday night on a four-day official visit. He is accompanied by a three-member delegation.
He was received by Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay and senior officials from the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.
He is to call on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris.
His visit comes as the Indian Army’s Mitra Shakti contingent was received earlier in the day with ceremonial honour by the Sri Lanka Army at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.
The two forces will engage in the largest friendly joint military exercises in the sub-continent.
This is the 8th edition of the India-Sri Lanka bilateral joint exercise Mitra Shakti at the Combat Training School, Ampara in Sri Lanka to be held from October 4-15. The exercises will involve tactical level operations in an international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment.
The Foreign Secretary’s October 2-5 visit is at the invitation of the Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary.
The visit will contribute towards consolidating the longstanding multifaceted relations and enhance bilateral partnerships between two countries, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry statement said.
This is his first visit to Sri Lanka since assumption of office as the Foreign Secretary of India.
The visit also comes two days after India's Adani Group sealed a deal to develop and run the strategic Western Container Terminal at Colombo Port.
Adani Group will have a 51% stake in the port’s Western Container Terminal (WCT) becoming the first-ever Indian port.
UNI/RN

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