Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, met the county’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and other senior officials and assured them of New Delhi’s “continued cooperation and understanding” under its “Neighborhood First” policy as the island country faces an unprecedented economic crisis. 

Jaishankar, who reached Colombon Sunday evening from Male, met on Monday Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, and Foreign Minister G L Peiris, and discussed the economic situation and India's response. He will also participate in the BIMSTEC summit hosted by Sri Lanka this week. 

“Witnessed the signing of [the ]agreement on supporting Buddhist culture and heritage,” Jaishankar tweeted during his meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. The two leaders also virtually toured an ongoing camp in Jaffna on the fitting of the prosthetic Jaipur Foot to people who had lost their legs to landmines during the long ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. 

Both leaders also jointly inaugurated virtually the Jaffna Cultural Centre, constructed with India’s grant assistance. Jaffna is the heartland of Sri Lanka's minority Tamil community that is concentrated in the north and east of the country. 

In the last few months, the two countries held several high-level visits and signed important agreements, including those related to India’s economic assistance worth over $2.4 billion to ease the crisis. Amid mounting debts and record low foreign exchange, authorities in Sri Lanka are struggling to import essentials like fuel, food, and medicine. Across the country, long queues of people standing at fuel stations are common sights. 

Significantly at a time, when Sri Lankan leaders are facing heat from the public for the crippling fuel crisis, Jaishankar Monday visited a fuel station run by Indian Oil Corporation in Colombo in a move that garnered appreciation from common people there. 

Part of India’s assistance offered in the last few months also included $500 million to cover the import of fuel. Another $1 billion lines of credit was issued recently to cover the imports of food and essentials. 

“We must really appreciate what India is doing at the moment,”  Sri Lanka’s Foreign Secretary, Admiral Jayanath Colombage (retd.) was quoted as saying by The Hindu. He further added, “This is a very difficult time for Sri Lanka and India, keeping to their Neighborhood First policy, have come forward to support Sri Lanka. So that’s something we really have to appreciate.”

Earlier, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G L Peiris had termed India a “true friend who they can rely on at all times.” 

(SAM)