PM Modi Holds Talks With Lanka President On Fishermen's Arrests Issue

PM Wickremesinghe reached Delhi on a two-day visit on Thursday.

India earlier provided the island nation with financial assistance worth around USD 4 billion to Sri Lanka.  ( Image Source :Twitter/@MEAIndia )

PM Modi held wide-range of talks with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe who is currently in India. The talks mainly concentrated on boosting overall economic and strategic cooperation. PM Modi, as per PTI, after talks with Sri Lankan President said, "We agreed that fishermen issues should be handled with a humanitarian approach."

PM Wickremesinghe reached Delhi on a two-day visit on Thursday. This is the first time PM visited India after the island nation was hit by an unprecedented economic crisis last year.

 

We agreed that fishermen issue should be handled with humanitarian approach: PM Modi after talks with Sri Lankan President

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 21, 2023

According to PTI, India earlier provided the island nation with financial assistance worth around USD 4 billion to Sri Lanka. 

New Delhi also provided guarantees to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help the country secure a USD 2.9 billion bailout package.

As the two leaders began talks, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter said, "An opportunity to review and lend further momentum to the long-standing India-Sri Lanka ties as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations this year." 

"Delegation level talks led by PM @narendramodi and President @RW_UNP get underway. A wide-ranging agenda on the table covering areas of energy security, economic and financial linkages, defence & security cooperation and people to people ties," he said. 

Delegation level talks led by PM @narendramodi and President @RW_UNP get underway.

A wide-ranging agenda on the table covering areas of energy security, economic and financial linkages, defence & security cooperation and people to people ties. pic.twitter.com/x7irs8BPsw

— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) July 21, 2023

Prior to the high-level talks, NSA Ajit Doval called on Wickremesinghe and it is believed that they spoke about security collaboration between the two nations.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin wrote to PM Modi regarding various Srilankan Tamil and fishermen issues in the wake of Sri Lankan President's two-day visit to India. Stalin He also sought the support of PM to address the issues pertaining to the retrieval of Katchatheevu island, protection of fishermen rights and ensuring rights and freedom of Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka.