Indian Defence Minister’s visit deferred at last minute

The scheduled visit of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Sri Lanka tomorrow was deferred at the last minute, the Indian High Commission in Colombo said. 

The Minister was due to arrive tomorrow in Colombo on a two-day official visit with scheduled high-level engagements. 

Issuing a statement, India’s Ministry of Defence said: “Due to unavoidable circumstances the visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Sri Lanka stands deferred to a later date.

“The Defence Minister remains committed to strong bilateral cooperation between India and Sri Lanka and looks forward to visiting the island nation at the earliest possible time.” the statement said. 

Minister  Singh expected to hold talks with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena during the two-day visit. The entire gamut of India’s defence ties with Sri Lanka will be reviewed during these meetings, an earlier statement issued by the Indian government’s information bureau said of the visit.