Colombo, Jan 20: Visiting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday reassured India’s strong ties with Sri Lanka and insisted that New Delhi would standby it southern neighbour which is going through the worst ever economic crisis in its post-independent history.
“I would like to underline that India is a reliable neighbour, a trustworthy partner, one who is prepared to go the extra mile when Sri Lanka feels the need. My presence here today is a statement about Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to ‘Neighbourhood First’,” Jaishankar said while making a statement in the presence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry.
“We will stand by Sri Lanka in this hour of need and are confident that Sri Lanka will overcome the challenges that it currently faces,” he asserted.
Jaishankar went on to say this his “primary purpose of coming to Colombo at this time is to express India’s solidarity with Sri Lanka during these difficult moments”.
He also handed over an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Wickremesinghe to visit India at an early date to discuss how partnership between the two countries could facilitate the island nation’s strong recovery.
India, one of the main bilateral creditors of Sri Lanka, this week assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) its assistance to the debt restructure programme that Colombo is desperately awaiting to get the four-year IMF bailout package of $2.9 billion. (IANS)
