PM on three-day official visit to New Delhi
October 18, 2018 10:21 am
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is arriving in New Delhi this evening (18) on a three-day visit to India. He will hold wide-ranging talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his stay.
Both leaders are likely to review the status of the India-assisted housing projects in Sri Lanka’s Jaffna. Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on the visiting dignitary.
Our correspondent reports that the India-Sri Lanka ties have been marked by close contacts at all levels in recent years. India is among the top four investors in Sri Lanka with cumulative investments of over one billion dollars since 2003.
The investments are in diverse areas including petroleum retail, IT, financial services, real estate, and telecommunication. Sri Lanka has long been a priority destination for direct investment from India. It is one of India’s largest trading partner in SAARC. India, in turn, is Sri Lanka’s largest trade partner globally.
Trade between the two countries grew rapidly after the India-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement in March 2000. The significant progress in the implementation of development assistance projects for Internally Displaced Persons and disadvantaged sections of the population in Sri Lanka has helped further cement the bonds of friendship between the two countries.
-Agencies
