Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa held a virtual summit on Saturday in which they discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Modi congratulated Rajapaksa on his assumption of office as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka with a decisive mandate in the parliamentary elections in in August 2020. Rajapaksa expressed his gratitude for the good wishes and conveyed his keenness to work together closely with Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Rajapaksa commended the strong leadership shown by Modi in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic based on the vision of mutual support and assistance to the countries of the region. Both leaders agreed that the current situation presented a fresh opportunity to give added impetus to bilateral relations.

They expressed happiness that India and Sri Lanka have worked very closely in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Modi reaffirmed India's continued commitment for all possible support to Sri Lanka for minimising the health and economic impact of the pandemic.
(IANS)