EAM S Jaishankar reviews projects in Sri Lanka

New Delhi, June 20

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar opened his official visit to Sri Lanka by meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo on Thursday in the first diplomatic exchange between India and Sri Lanka following the inauguration of the new government.

The main agenda was a review of the progress made on various bilateral projects and initiatives, and as Jaishankar posted on X, “discussed the way forward for cooperation, especially in power, energy, connectivity, port infrastructure, aviation, digital, health, food security, education and tourism sectors”.

Jaishankar’s arrival coincided with the docking of Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kamorta, under the command of Captain Shiraz Huzain Azad, at Trincomalee.

Jaishankar also had an interaction with his counterpart Ali Sabry during which they discussed “capacity building and shared engagement” and also “exchanged perspectives of greater multilateral cooperation, especially in BIMSTEC, IORA and the UN”.

What stood out though was Jaishankar’s breadth of political engagements at a time when Sri Lanka is poised for presidential elections with analysts suggesting that three candidates, including the incumbent Wickremesinghe, stand a good chance. Jaishankar called on former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, both of whom are expected to challenge Wickremesinghe for the presidency.