Sri Lankan Prime Minister (PM) Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa (commonly known as Mahinda Rajapaksa) paid a 5-day visit to India from February 7-11, 2020 to boost bilateral partnership .This is his 1st official visit abroad after being appointed to the office by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his younger brother.
Arrival: Mahendra Rajapaksa was received by Shri Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State for Human Resource Development & Communications and Electronics & Information Technology upon his arrival at the New Delhi airport.
PM Modi hold talks with Mahinda Rajapaksa in New Delhi
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks with his Sri Lanka counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa & they discussed about increasing our people-to-people connectivity, encourage tourism, and improving connectivity.
i.The meet also saw the discussion over ‘Joint Economic Projects’ in Sri Lanka, and on enhancing mutual economic, trade, and investment relations.
ii.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in November 2019 announced a line of credit of $400 million for development projects in Sri Lanka besides granting a separate fund of $50 million to help combat terrorism.
India & Sri Lanka agreed to strengthen cooperation to combat terrorism ,boost trade and investment
Both the sides of India & Sri Lanka have agreed to deepen cooperation to combat terrorism ,boost trade and investment ties. India has been a trusted partner in Sri Lanka’s development and will continue to help the country in its peace and development.
i.The meet also discussed the aspirations of the Tamil community in the island nation,Srilanka & the interest of the entire Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Sri Lankan PM Rajapaksa offers prayers at Tirupati & Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi
i.Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (UP) at the Lal Bahadur Shastri airport and was given a warm welcome by senior officials and offered prayers at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple.
ii.The Sri Lanka PM then visited the Kaal Bhairav temple to offer prayers. After a, he visited Sarnath Buddhist Temple, 10 kilometers from Varanasi, and paid tributes at the Dhamek Stupa where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon to five disciples after attaining enlightenment.
iii.Also Sri Lankan Prime Minister Rajapaksa offered prayers at the famous Lord Venkateswara temple at nearby Tirumala , Andhra Pradesh (AP).
About Sri Lanka:
Capital– Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
Currency– Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
President– Gotabaya Rajapaksa
