EAM Dr S Jaishankar will attend the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) meeting during his Sri Lanka visit.
Colombo [Sri Lanka], March 28: In an extraordinary gesture, four Sri Lankan ministers received Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, who is on a bilateral visit to the island nation, at the airport on Sunday evening.
The ministers, Gamini Lokuge, Minister of Energy, Johnston Fernando, Minister of Highways, Prasanna Ranatunga, Ministry of Tourism and D V Chanaka, State Minister of Aviation and Export Zones Development, received Jaishankar at the airport.
On Sunday, Jaishankar arrived in Colombo for a bilateral visit. He will also attend the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) meeting during his visit.
"Arrived in Colombo for a bilateral visit and BIMSTEC meeting. Look forward to my discussions over the next two days," Jaishankar tweeted hours after concluding his Maldives visit.
The minister will be in Sri Lanka from March 28 to 30. This follows the visits to India by Sri Lanka Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in December 2021 earlier this month and that of Sri Lanka Foreign Minister professor G. L. Peiris in February 2022.
According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the bilateral meetings and interactions that EAM will have in Sri Lanka highlight Sri Lanka's priority for India.
While in Sri Lanka, EAM will also participate in the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on March 29 in Colombo.
Both Maldives and Sri Lanka are India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy a special place in the Prime Minister's vision of 'SAGAR' and Neighbourhood First.
The EAM's visit is testimony to India's importance to its close and friendly relations with the Maldives and Sri Lanka. (ANI)
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