PM heads to Seychelles, Mauritius, Lanka; tour begins March 10

New Delhi:Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi will leave on March 10 on a three-nation visit — Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka — the External Affairs Ministry announced on Friday with no mention, however, of the Maldives, which was being considered earlier.
On his first trip abroad in 2015, the prime minister will be visiting the three countries from March 10 to 14, the ministry said.
On March 11, in Seychelles, Modi will hold bilateral discussions with President J.A Michel to strengthen bilateral maritime ties and enhance develop-ment cooperation. Modi will be in Mauritius on March 11 and 12 where he will have exten-sive meetings with his Mauritian counterpart, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, to further enhance the special and unique relations.
The Indian Prime Minister will also be the Chief Guest at Mauritius’s National Day celebrations. The Sri Lanka leg of the trip will be spread over March 13 and 14. During his visit, Modi will hold meetings with Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and other senior leaders across the political spectrum in the island nation.
Modi’s visit will provide opportunities for building on the close contacts at the highest political level and enhance mutual coopera-tion on major issues of common interest, the ministry said.(PTI)