Chinese and Indian envoys call on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Seven foreign envoys including the Indian Commissioner Santosh Jha and Chinese Ambassador in Sri Lanka Qi Zhenhong today called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake .

The ambassadors, high commissioners, and representatives from Cuba, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and  Canada also called on the President.

The meetings were keeping  with the current government's policy of strengthening bilateral relations globally, the President’s media division said.

The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha was among those who met with President.

His visit comes ahead of the visit of India’s external Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.Jaishankar’s visit is expected to begin on October 4.

The President’s Media Division said the purpose of the Indian High Commissioner’s visit was to congratulate the President on his recent election victory.

The meeting took place at the Presidential Secretariat.

During the meeting, High Commissioner Santosh Jha emphasized the long-standing friendship and close proximity between India and Sri Lanka, highlighting the importance of maintaining strong bilateral ties.

He expressed India's readiness to support Sri Lanka's development process in all

possible ways and wished to see Sri Lanka emerge as a peaceful and stable nation in the region, the PMD said.

The High Commissioner also praised the President's anti-corruption initiatives outlined in his manifesto, particularly stressing the importance of digitalization in government systems to effectively combat corruption. He reaffirmed India's willingness to assist Sri Lanka in implementing digitalization measures, while underscoring the continuous stable friendship between the two neighbouring nations

Indian Media reports said India’s external Affairs Minister Jaishankar will be visiting Sri Lanka this week and call on newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

His visit to Colombo would be the first by any foreign minister after the presidential elections last month.  

Chinese  Zhenhong, the Ambassador congratulated  President on his recent election

victory and expressed China’s continued commitment to supporting Sri Lanka in its future endeavors.

Ambassador Qi reaffirmed the Chinese government’s continued commitment to enhancing bilateral relations with Sri Lanka, emphasizing the significance of on-going collaborative projects/

He highlighted the active engagement of the China Development Bank (CDB) and EXIM Bank in supporting Sri Lanka’s development initiatives. Moreover, Ambassador Qi assured that both institutions, as key commercial and bilateral creditors, will provide comprehensive assistance in the debt restructuring process, underscoring China’s dedication to supporting, the PMD said.