Sri Lankan Foreign Minister GL Peiris To Visit India, Meet EAM, NSA Doval

Colombo/New Delhi, Feb 5: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris is to arrive on Sunday on a two-day visit to India during which he is slated to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. The visit comes as India has extended a US$ 400 million SAARC currency swap facility and deferred a US$ 515.2 million Asian Clearing Union settlement for two months.

Another US$ 500 million LOC has also been extended for fuel purchases from India, to help the island nation tide over a severe forex crunch. On Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed his best wishes to Peiris on Sri Lanka’s Independence Day and said that India will always be a reliable and dependable friend.

“Best wishes to FM G.L.Peiris and the Government and people of Sri Lanka on their Independence Day. “Our historical friendship is today implemented through Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies. “India will always be a reliable and dependable friend,” he said in a tweet. The visit also comes after the Sri Lankan High Commissioner Milinda Moragoda had a meeting with NSA Doval in New Delhi on Thursday.

The envoy said in a tweet: “Had a good meeting earlier this evening with National Security Advisor of India, Shri Ajit Doval. We had the opportunity to discuss different aspects of our multifaceted bilateral relationship. #lka #SriLanka” On Friday, India delivered 100,000 Rapid Antigen Self Test Kits to Sri Lanka. The Indian High Commission in Colombo said in a tweet: “A special gift from a friend on #IndependenceDay!! #India continues its #COVID19 assistance to #SriLanka by initiating the delivery of 100,000 RAT kits from today. Remaining kits to follow in the coming days.”

With Sri Lanka facing a serious financial crisis, India has reportedly pledged USD 2.415 billion to the island nation to help it overcome dire financial constraints caused by external debt payments and a lack of US dollars in the country for business. Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a virtual meeting with Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, during which Jaishankar conveyed that India has always stood with Sri Lanka, and will continue to support Sri Lanka in all possible ways for overcoming the economic and other challenges posed by the pandemic.