PM Modi Holds Talks With Sri Lanka's Dissanayake: 'Won't Allow Our Land To Be Used In Ways Detrimental To India'
Date
12/16/2024 5:00:43 AM
(MENAFN- Live Mint) Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday - with a focus on improving cooperation between the two nations in a range of areas.
The newly elected Lankan leader also assured that his country would not allow the island nation to be used in“a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India”.
Also Read | Sri Lanka's Marxist-leaning president appoints his Cabinet after a resounding election win
“I have also given an assurance to the Prime Minister of India that we will not allow our land to be used in any way in a manner that is detrimental to the interest of India. The cooperation with India will certainly flourish and I want to reassure our continued support for India,” Dissanayake said after the interaction.
PM Modi said:“We completely agree that our security interests are interlinked. We have decided to finalise the Defence Cooperation Agreement soon.”
“Cooperation on hydrography has also been agreed upon. We believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development. Under this, cooperation will be enhanced on topics like maritime security, counter-terrorism, cyber-security, fight against smuggling and organised crime, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The people-to-people relations between India and Sri Lanka are linked to our civilisations,” he added.
Also Read | Is NPP's landslide win in Sri Lanka polls a turning point for island nation?
Both the nations have signed several memorandums of understanding (MoUs).
At a joint press conference, PM Modi also highlighted India's robust support to Sri Lanka's development.
"India has so far provided 5 billion dollars in line of credit and grant assistance to Sri Lanka. We have cooperation in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka, and the selection of our projects is always based on the development priorities of the partner countries," he said.
Highlighting new initiatives under India's developmental cooperation with Sri Lanka, PM Modi said: "From next year, monthly scholarships will be given to 200 students in the universities of Jaffna and Eastern Province. In the next five years, 1500 civil servants of Sri Lanka will be trained in India."
MENAFN16122024007365015876ID1108996644
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.