Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Sri Lankan President Ranil
Wickremesinghe before their meeting at Hyderabad house in New Delhi on July 21, 2023.
| Photo Credit: R V Moorthy
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 21 held wide-ranging talks with visiting Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe largely focusing on boosting overall economic and strategic cooperation.
Mr. Wickremesinghe arrived in Delhi on July 20 on a two-day visit which is the first tour of India by a senior Sri Lankan leader since the island nation was hit by an unprecedented economic crisis last year.
India extended financial assistance worth around $4 billion to Sri Lanka, including lines of credit for purchases of food and fuel last year when it was hit by the economic crisis.
Also Read | India says it will continue to support Sri Lanka in overcoming its financial crisis
New Delhi also provided guarantees to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the country secure a $2.9 billion bailout package.
“An opportunity to review and lend further momentum to the long-standing India-Sri Lanka ties as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations this year,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter as the two leaders began talks.
Ahead of the high-level talks between the two top leaders, NSA Ajit Doval called on Mr. Wickremesinghe and is understood to have discussed security cooperation between the two countries.
On July 20 evening, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the visiting leader and discussed various bilateral issues.
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