Lankan PM in Maldives to step up bilateral ties

Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is in Maldives on an official visit where he would meet the nation’s President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to discuss ways to boost bilateral ties and also chair the 4th Indian Ocean Conference, officials said on Monday.
Wickremesinghe’s visit to Maldives comes amidst an internal struggle in his United National Party (UNP) over the naming of party’s presidential candidate.
“The two leaders will engage in discussions relating to all aspects of the bilateral relationship to explore new areas of cooperation as well as exchange views on regional and global affairs which are of mutual interest,” officials said.
During the visit, Wickremesinghe will also chair the fourth Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) 2019 to be held on September 3 and 4 at the Paradise Island Resort.
The conference, which is being organised by the India Foundation in association with the Maldives Government and the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, would be based on the theme “Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges”.
The conference will deliberate on developing effective regional institutional mechanism for implementation of prevailing norms and rules. (PTI)