‘India committed…’: Jaishankar as Lanka President hails Modi govt’s ‘timely aid’

• A day after Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe thanked India and PM Narendra Modi for giving Sri Lanka 'a breath of life' by providing timely economic assistance to his country, external affairs minister S Jaishankar has responded. During meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Ali Sabry at ASEAN meet, Jaishankar reiterated India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. "A warm first meeting with FM Ali Sabry of Sri Lanka. Congratulated him on his new responsibility. Reaffirmed India’s commitment, as a dependable friend and reliable partner, to the economic recovery and well being of Sri Lanka," tweeted Jaishankar. This came as a group of anti-government demonstrators at the Galle Face protest site near the Sri Lankan presidential office vowed to defy an order from the police to vacate the area by Friday evening. Watch this video for more details.