|
|
|
Friday, October 15, 2010 - 06.19 GMT |
|
India the pivot
of our foreign policy – GL |
|
|
|
Visiting Sri Lankan Minister of External Affairs Gamini Lakshman Peiris declared here today that India is "the pivot of our foreign policy."
He told The Island in an interview this morning: "India has helped us in our darkest hour." He was apparently referring to the crucial help India rendered to the island-nation, both visible and invisible, during the war that ended in May last year.
"There is close rapport between the political leaders of our two countries," Peiris pointed out. He recalled that his predecessor Lakshman Kadirgamar used to say that relations between India and Sri Lanka are "so ancient that they are lost in the mist of time," and yet so strong.
(India has given nearly a billion dollars as grants and assistance to help rebuild the infrastructure ravaged during the three-decades of war, and to build 50,000 homes for war-displaced Tamils in the Northern Province. Several dozens of Indian companies have so far invested nearly half a billion dollars in several projects across the island. Many more are planning to invest in several sectors of the economy, like tourism, and hotels).
The Oxford-educated Peiris met his Indian counterpart SM Krishna to discuss bilateral matters. Krishna hosted a lunch in his honour.
During his stay, Peiris will meet Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, Human Resourcce Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, and Shiv Shankar Menon, National Security Advisor to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
The minister will also accompany President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he calls on Prime Minister Dr Singh at his official residence on Friday. The president arrived yesterday afternoon to attend the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games as an "honoured guest."
Peiris will deliver on Friday the RK Mishra Memorial Lecture on "Growth, Equity and Security: Constitutional Imperatives for South Asia," organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), a private think tank.
Courtesy: The Island
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Information:: Send
mail to