The summit was Prime Minister Modi’s first such virtual engagement with a neighbouring country and also Sri Lanka’s PM Rajapaksa’s first diplomatic engagement with a leader of a foreign country after he was sworn in as Prime Minister in August this year.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, India accords highest priority to its relation with Sri Lanka as part of India’s Neighbourhood First approach and SAGAR doctrine. He said, the ties between the two nation is thousand years old.
PM Modi said, India and Sri Lanka work closely in various multilateral fora like BIMSTEC, IORA and SAARC. PM also congratulated Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa for his win in the recent election.
A Virtual Bilateral Summit was held under challenging circumstances posed by COVID-19, testifies to the deep-rooted civilizational ties and shared heritage between the two neighbouring countries.