23 December 2022 09:39 am Views - 172
By Kelum Bandara
India has got into the nitty-gritty of bilateral ties with the latest visit of its Head of Indian Ocean Region Puneet Agrawal recently to interact with the key ministers in charge of areas where the two sides seek greater connectivity.
According to the Indian High Commission, Mr. Agrawal who is the Head of Indian Ocean Region Division of the Indian External Affairs Ministry called on the Ministers of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Foreign Affairs and Power and Energy.
According to the Indian High Commission, Mr. Agrawal who is the Head of Indian Ocean Region Division of the Indian External Affairs Ministry called on the Ministers of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Foreign Affairs and Power and Energy.
India and Sri Lanka seek to improve connectivity in areas such as power, aviation and shipping sectors with fresh initiatives already taken.
The latest interaction is a follow-up to the visit of chief of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) Samant Kumar Goel recently to interact with the highest level, including President Ranil Wickremesinghe. Mr. Goel also met with Mr. Basil Rajapaksa who spearheads the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).
Mr. Agrawal also interacted with the leaders of the minority parties and sought their views on the current political situation. It was a dinner meeting attended by Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauff Hakeem, Tamil Progressive Alliance (TPA) leader Mano Ganesan, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M. A. Sumanthiran, Ceylon Workers Congress leader Jeevan Thondaman and three civil society activists - Rohana Hettiarachchi, Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu and Jehan Perera. He sought their views on the All Party Conference called by the President.