Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe thanks India and Bangladesh

New Delhi: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Monday expressed gratitude to India and Bangladesh for providing assistance as the island nation tries to recover from a serious economic crisis. 

Wickremesinghe met Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.The two leaders engaged in bilateral discussions with the Bangladesh PM assuring Dhaka’s commitment to support Sri Lanka’s agricultural modernisation programme.

“Recalling the support received from both Bangladesh and India, Wickremesinghe expressed gratitude for their assistance,” Lankan President’s Media Division said in a statement after the meeting. It also mentioned that Hasina has assured her country’s commitment to assist Sri Lanka with its plan to modernise agriculture.

Wickremesinghe affirmed his commitment to dispatch a delegation of Lankan agricultural experts to Bangladesh with an aim of studying Bangladesh’s agricultural modernisation programme through cooperative methods and gather valuable insights to enhance Sri Lanka’s own agricultural modernisation efforts.

The leaders also deliberated on the prospect of signing a free trade agreement between the two countries. Wickremesinghe highlighted the potential for such an agreement following the conclusion of the India Free Trade Agreement.

“Additionally, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh pledged to direct private investors from Bangladesh towards investment opportunities in Sri Lanka, further fostering economic cooperation between the two countries. Consideration was given to the initiation of a passenger ferry service connecting Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,” the Lankan President’s office said in a statement after the meeting. (IANS)

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