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EAM Jaishankar to visit Sri Lanka on Friday

Oct 03, 2024 07:14 PM IST

This will be the first high-level engagement between the two sides since the Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected president in September.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar will visit Sri Lanka on Friday to meet the island country’s new leadership, including President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and reaffirm New Delhi’s commitment to the bilateral partnership.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar. (PTI Photo)
External affairs minister S Jaishankar. (PTI Photo)

“In keeping with India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and SAGAR outlook, the visit underlines the shared commitment of the two countries to further deepen the longstanding partnership for mutual benefit,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement announcing Jaishankar’s visit.

This will be the first high-level engagement between the two sides since the Marxist-leaning Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, was elected president in September. Jaishankar is also the first foreign minister to visit Sri Lanka since the presidential election, which was won by the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance.

Dissanayake’s Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna party, which was perceived as anti-India for many decades, is part of the NPP. Even before the election, India began reaching out to various sections of the Sri Lankan polity, and Dissanayake visited New Delhi in March, when he met Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

“This visit is about touching base with Sri Lanka’s new leadership, reassuring them and reaffirming India’s commitment to the bilateral partnership,” a person familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity.

The Indian side is also expected to discuss its concerns with the Sri Lankan leadership, such as reports of a realignment of foreign policy and a review of projects being implemented by Indian firms that were finalised during the term of previous president Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The JVP has never been close to power in the past but its fortunes improved after Dissanayake played a key role in the 2022 protests, known as the “Aragalaya” (Sinhala for “struggle”), that resulted in the ouster of the government led by former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The protests began amid Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis and India played a key role in helping the island nation by providing financial aid worth nearly $4 billion, including credit lines for emergency purchases of food, fuel and medicines.

Dissanayake said in a recent interview that Sri Lanka doesn’t want to be sandwiched between China and India, and he described both countries as “valued friends” and “close partners”.

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