President Droupadi Murmu meets Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe in Delhi

New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Friday met Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe in New Delhi.

Earlier, Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe, who arrived in Delhi on Thursday for a two-day visit, held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders held the meeting at the Hyderabad House in Delhi.

Wickremesinghe is on an official visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. In remarks to the media after his talks with Sri Lankan President, PM Modi on Friday said that Sri Lanka has a special place in India's neighbourhood first policy and the security interests and development of the two countries are intertwined. PM Modi said they have agreed on the enhancement of air connectivity between the two countries. He said India stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Sri Lanka in the time of crisis.

"Sri Lanka also has an important place in both India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'SAGAR' vision. Today we shared our views on bilateral, regional and international issues. We believe that the security interests and development of India and Sri Lanka are intertwined,” PM Modi said.

"We agree on the enhancement of air connectivity between India and Sri Lanka. To increase trade and travel by people, we have taken the decision to start passenger ferry services between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanturai in Sri Lanka,” he added.

Welcoming the Sri Lankan President and his delegation, PM Modi congratulated him on completing one year in office. “I congratulate him on this. The people of Sri Lanka faced many challenges last year but like a close friend we stood shoulder to shoulder with the people of Sri Lanka in the time of crisis,” he said.
Wickremesinghe said that he believes that India's growth will be beneficial to the neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region (IOR).

In his media statement following the talks, the Sri Lankam President said, "I have congratulated Prime Minister Modi on the great strides India continues to make under his leadership in economic infrastructure and technological progress in ensuring growth and prosperity for the people of India."
"We believe that India's growth will be beneficial to the neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region," he added.

The Sri Lankan President conveyed his "profound appreciation" for the solidarity and support rendered to Sri Lanka by India over the past year which he described as "undoubtedly one of the challenging periods" in Sri Lanka's modern history.

The two sides exchanged documents on cooperation in the field of animal husbandry, renewable energy, development projects in the Trincomalee district in eastern Sri Lanka, and online payment services between India and Sri Lanka.