Modi to address SL parliament

4 March 2015 10:00 pm Views - 9233

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the Sri Lanka Parliament on March 13, political sources said today.

Mr. Modi will make a three-day state visit to Sri Lanka from March 13. This is the first state visit by an Indian leader after 1987. Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was the last to make a state visit to Sri Lanka.

In 2013, the then Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Sinavatra addressed Parliament. It is learnt that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed Government members to attend the session on that day of the address by Mr. Modi. He said a parliamentary address would be the highest honour to be accorded to a visiting state leader.

Mr. Modi will also visit Jaffna during his visit. Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will arrive in the country on Friday for bilateral talks ahead of Mr. Modi's visit. She will hold talks with her counterpart Mangala Samaraweera.(Kelum Bandara)