PM Modi to hold virtual bilateral talks with Sri Lankan PM on Saturday

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Sri Lankan counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa will hold a bilateral summit via virtual link on September 26, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The virtual summit is the first official interaction between the leaders after they met in New Delhi in February this year.

The two leaders are likely to deliberate on a range of issues including ways to deepen anti-terror cooperation, boosting defence and trade ties as well as implementation of India’s development projects in Sri Lanka. The Tamil issue in Sri Lanka may also figure in talks.

Responding to a tweet posted by Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the two countries should explore ways to further strengthen cooperation in the post-COVID era.

Thank you, @PresRajapaksa! I too look forward to jointly reviewing our bilateral relationship comprehensively. We must explore ways to further enhance our cooperation in the post-COVID era. https://t.co/GshcGvma8q

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 24, 2020

“Thank you, @PresRajapaksa! I too look forward to jointly reviewing our bilateral relationship comprehensively. We must explore ways to further enhance our cooperation in the post-COVID era,” PM Modi said in a tweet.

On Wednesday, Rajapaksa said that various sectors including economics, defence, tourism and other areas of mutual interest are expected to be reviewed during the virtual summit.

“Looking forward to interacting with PM @narendramodi at the virtual summit scheduled for September 26. We expect to review the multifaceted bilateral relationship between our nations, ranging from politics, economics, defence, tourism and other areas of mutual interest,” he wrote.

Rajapaksa was sworn in as Sri Lankan prime minister for a fresh term after his party, Sri Lanka People’s Front, secured a two-thirds majority in the parliamentary polls.