Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay stated he had come to the country with a mandate to deepen India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations and also to expand their close cooperation. The envoy made the comment when he paid his first call on Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees in Colombo today morning.

The meeting coincided with the 50th anniversary of the election of Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Sri Lankan Parliament.

The High Commissioner reiterated the commitment of India to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sri Lanka in addressing the challenges posed by COVID-19 and in post-COVID economic recovery.

Food security, health security, IT cooperation, tourism exchanges, development cooperation partnership, greater investment flows were identified as priority areas during the meeting.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa reiterated his belief that the bilateral relationship would become stronger with the addition of new areas of cooperation.

He agreed with High Commissioner Gopal Baglay that the shared Buddhist heritage and links between India and Sri Lanka provide a platform for robust people-to-people engagement and for bringing the two peoples closer together.

The Prime Minister said he would instruct his relevant officials to consult with the High Commission to further develop such cooperation.

https://www.newsfirst.lk/2020/05/27/here-to-deepen-india-sri-lanka-bilateral-relations-indian-hc-tells-pm-rajapaksa/