Gopal Baglay further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on promoting Buddhism ties, and has placed a “specific focus” on initiating related projects, not only in the area of tourism but also other sectors such as archaeology.
Prime Minister Rajapaksa expressed condolences to all those impacted by the Air India crash on Friday. He also said he was happy to receive Prime Minister Modi’s call on Thursday, even before the final results of elections were declared.
In addition to ongoing projects, High Commissioner Baglay said India would also be happy to assist Sri Lanka on areas such as water and sanitation. Prime Minister Rajapaksa said irrigation is another important area on which the two countries can collaborate.
Indian Government has decided to declare the Kushinagar airport an international airport in June. This is particularly significant to Sri Lanka’s Buddhist pilgrims since the airport is located near a number of sites sacred to Buddhists.