(UPDATED) President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar unveiled the virtual plaque today to mark the formal commissioning of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and held talks about the progress of ongoing development projects between the two nations.
The center was established in Sri Lanka under a grant of 6 million USD from India.
This Maritime rescue Coordination center includes a centre at Navy HQ in Colombo, a sub-centre in Hambantota & unmanned installations at Galle, Arugambay, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kallarawa, Point Pedro & Mollikulam.
During the visit of Dr Jaishankar three activities which strengthened the Indo – Sri Lanka Relations also took place.
Accordingly President Wickremesinghe and Indian External Affairs Minister jointly unveiled the virtual plaque for 106 houses in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya & Matale under the Indian Housing Project along with 24 houses in each model village in Colombo & Trincomalee being handed over virtually.
Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. S. Jaishankar, commenced his official visit to Sri Lanka with a significant meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President House in Colombo this morning (20).
Upon arrival, Minister Jaishankar was received by Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka, Senior Advisor to President on National Security and Chief of Staff. Subsequently, President Wickremesinghe held bilateral discussions with Minister Jaishankar to review the progress of ongoing development projects between the two nations.
The meeting was attended by a delegation including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Sabry , Mr. Sagala Ratnayaka, President's Secretary . Saman Ekanayake, and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka,. Santosh Jha.
Minister Jaishankar later met with Minister Sabry for bilateral talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This was Dr. Jaishankar’s first bilateral visit after being reappointed to the high office following the recent general elections in India.
The bilateral discussions at the Foreign Ministry centered on a range of issues of mutual interest including in the areas of economic and development cooperation, cooperation in regional and multilateral fora as well as cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries among others.
Foreign Secretary Aruni Wijewardane and senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were associated with the Foreign Minister for the bilateral talks.
Following bilateral talks, the visiting Indian External Affairs Minister signed the Guest Book at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This morning, the visiting External Affairs Minister of India was received on arrival at the Bandaranaike International Airport by the State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya. Prior to the bilateral discussions at the Foreign Ministry, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar paid courtesy calls on President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.
Dr. Jaishankar also met with opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and a SJB delegation.
Separately he also met with a TNA delegation and MP C.V.Vigneswaran
Later he met members from the Ceylon Workers Congress led by General Secretary Jeevan Thondaman.
MP M. Rameswaran said that the visiting minister pledged to provide all necessary asistance to the Indian origin people living in the upcountry.
Governor of the Eastern province Senthil Thondaman also took part in the talks held at the India House.
Dr Jaishankar left Sri Lanka at 6.40 pm from the Bandaranaike International Airport on an Indian air force flight.
The National Democratic Front (NDF) party secretary has unilaterally nominated Ravi Karunanayake for the coalition’s national list parliamentary seat this morning (18), former President Ranil Wickremesinghe said.
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