COLOMBO: On his first full working day at office, High Commissioner of India Gopal Baglay called on Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Foreign Relations and Minister of Skills Development, Employment and Labour Relations, and Hon. Chamal Rajapaksa, Minister of Mahaweli, Agriculture, Irrigation and Rural Development and Minister of Internal Trade, Food Security and Consumer Welfare; and met with Hon. Arumugan Thondaman, Minister of Community Empowerment and Estate Infrastructure Development.
In his meeting with Hon. Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, High Commissioner Gopal Baglay conveyed greetings from the leadership and people of India. High Commissioner expressed his gratitude for facilitating his presentation of credentials through a ceremony held via video conference. Recalling the telephone conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and H.E. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 23 May 2020, High Commissioner reiterated India’s abiding commitment to provide all possible support to Sri Lanka for mitigating the effects of COVID-19 and for post-COVID economic recovery. High Commissioner also thanked Hon. Minister for Government of Sri Lanka’s cooperation regarding Indians stranded in Sri Lanka and their repatriation.
High Commissioner Gopal Baglay and Hon. Minister Arumugan Thondaman discussed bilateral cooperation for community development including the ongoing Indian Housing Project in the plantation sector and the landmark Jaffna Cultural Centre. India is undertaking construction of 10,000 houses for estate workers, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Sri Lanka in 2017. High Commissioner said that India will continue to undertake high impact, community-development projects for the people of Sri Lanka, in partnership with Government of Sri Lanka.
Noting Chamal Rajapaksa’s long-standing experience as a Parliamentarian and in various Ministerial capacities, High Commissioner Gopal Baglay sought his suggestions for further deepening the traditional, multi-faceted partnership between India and Sri Lanka especially in the fields of agriculture, food security and water.