Colombo: The Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Santosh Jha on Wednesday met the newly-appointed Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya.
“HC @santjha called on President of Sri Lanka H.E. @anuradisanayake this afternoon. Shared progress in the upward trajectory of the India-Sri Lanka partnership and discussed ways to further strengthen the long-standing friendship," a statement said.
The Indian envoy also called on Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at her office.
Jha was the first foreign envoy to meet Dissanayake immediately after he was elected the island nation's president.
Meanwhile, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said in his response that the Indian High Commissioner congratulated the new government and expressed India’s readiness to support our development process in any way possible.
"Jha also reflected on the long-standing friendship and closeness between our two nations, highlighting the importance of maintaining a continuous and stable partnership as neighbouring states. Furthermore, he pointed out the significance of digitizing government systems to effectively combat corruption. He appreciated the anti-corruption program outlined in our policy statement, and he expressed India’s willingness to assist Sri Lanka in implementing these digitization initiatives," the newly-appointed President said in a post on X.
The meetings came ahead of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to the island nation where he is scheduled to meet Dissanayake, who assumed office on September 23.
Jaishankar's visit to Colombo would be the first by any foreign minister after last month's presidential election.