India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Colombo yesterday, the first day of her two-day visit to the island nation.
“A warm wlecome by a close neighbour. EAM @SushmaSwaraj calls on PM Ranil Wickremesinghe at Temple Trees,” external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted along with pictures of the two leaders.
Earlier yesterday, she was received on her arrival by her Sri Lankan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera.
She is scheduled to attend the ninth session of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission which she co-chairs with Samaraweera.
The joint commission was established in 1992 as an effective mechanism to address matters pertaining to bilateral co-operation.
Ahead of Swaraj’s visit, Swarup said on Thursday that the discussions in the joint commission meeting would cover the entire gamut of the relationship between the two countries. Included in these would be economic co-operation, trade, power and energy, technical and maritime co-operation, social, cultural and educational matters, science and technology, defence co-operation, health, civil aviation, tourism and people-to-people contacts.
During the course of her visit, Sushma Swaraj will also call on Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and former president Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Today, the Indian minister will inaugurate a “Rise of Digital India” exhibition as part of “Sangam - Festival of India in Sri Lanka 2015-16”.
The exhibition will showcase the rise of the computing sector and digital technologies in India.
The reframing of the Sri Lankan constitution and the issue of Indian fishermen might also come up during the course of the discussions between the two sides.