Jaishankar arrives in Sri Lanka

Colombo, Jan 12: Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar on Tuesday arrived in Sri Lanka to hold bilateral discussions with the island tion’s leadership, media reported. Jaishankar is expected to meet Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera among other dignitaries, a report in the Daily Mirror online said. According to the report, during the course of his visit, Jaishankar is expected to pave the way for the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission (ISLJC) meeting scheduled to be held in Colombo next month. Indian Exterl Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is likely to attend the meeting.

On Monday, Jaishankar was in the Maldives where he met President Abdulla Yameen and Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon and discussed issues of bilateral cooperation. According to Haveeru online, Yameen apprised Jaishankar of the political developments in the Maldives and “secured the regiol superpower’s backing in domestic and intertiol affairs”.

Citing a statement issued by the president’s office in the local Dhivehi language, it said Yameen apprised the Indian foreign secretary of the latest developments in local politics.

He sought India’s assistance in several areas, including domestic and intertiol affairs, ways to improve cooperation in the economic and health fields and regiol anti-terrorism efforts. “The president gave his assurance that his government will continuously work to further improve the close bilateral relations between the Maldives and India,” the report quoted the statement as saying. “The Indian foreign secretary assured the president that India will always give its fullest cooperation to the Maldives,” it added. (IANS)