External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe formally commissioned the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, funded by a USD 6 million grant from Bharat, on Thursday.
“Honoured to call on Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Conveyed the warm greetings of PM Narendra Modi. Appreciated the progress made on various bilateral projects and initiatives,” Jaishankar shared on X.
“Under President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s guidance, we discussed the way forward for Bharat-Sri Lanka cooperation, particularly in power, energy, connectivity, port infrastructure, aviation, digital, health, food security, education, and tourism sectors. We are committed to working for the steady development of our traditionally close and friendly ties,” added the minister, who arrived early Thursday for his first visit in his second consecutive term.
The two leaders met at the Sri Lankan President’s House, where they jointly unveiled the virtual plaque to mark the formal commissioning of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre. The project includes a centre at Navy Headquarters in Colombo, a sub-centre in Hambantota, and unmanned installations at Galle, Arugambay, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kallarawa, Point Pedro, and Mollikulam.
“Joined Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ministers, and senior officials at the virtual commissioning of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre and the virtual handover of 154 houses under the Government of India housing schemes,” Jaishankar posted on X.
“President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Indian EAM Dr S Jaishankar jointly unveiled the virtual plaque for 106 houses in Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Matale under the Indian Housing Project, with 24 houses in each model village in Colombo and Trincomalee being handed over virtually,” the President’s Media Division posted on X.
Jaishankar is also set to discuss the progress of ongoing Indian projects in Sri Lanka and preliminary arrangements for a visit by Prime Minister Modi to the island. He is expected to meet with Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena as well.
This trip marks Jaishankar’s standalone bilateral visit since assuming charge as the External Affairs Minister for the second term on June 11. Last week, Jaishankar was part of PM Modi’s delegation at the G7 Outreach summit in Italy.
Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe was among the dignitaries from Bharat’s neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean region who attended the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi and the Union Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9.
Jaishankar’s last visit to Colombo was in October 2023 to participate in the 23rd Council of Ministers’ meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
