Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe to visit India on July 21

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will embark on a two-day visit to India on July 21 during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials here said on July 9.

This will be Mr. Wickremesinghe’s first visit to India since being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July. Mr. Wickremesinghe was appointed President for the balance term of Rajapaksa till September 2024.

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India's Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra will arrive in Sri Lanka early next week to work out the arrangements for Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi, the Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Saturday.

According to officials, Mr. Wickremesinghe is expected to meet Prime Minister Modi during his two-day visit to India.

Officials said Mr. Wickremesinghe will finalise the implementation of several Indian projects related to power and energy, agriculture, and maritime issues in the island nation ahead of his departure for New Delhi.

Fisheries Minister Douglas Devananda, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera, Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry and Chief of President’s Staff Sagala Ratnayake will accompany President Wickremesinghe to India, the Mirror said in its report.