Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya in Colombo yesterday. The two leaders discussed several issues, with the main focus of meeting being cooperation in the field of development.
They reviewed progress in areas of mutual interest, including education, information technology, infrastructure, innovation and research. They also discussed the ancient civilisational ties between India and Sri Lanka and highlighted strong people-to-people exchanges as an enduring bond between the two countries.
The Defence Minister said that as sister democracies with a shared heritage, India and Sri Lanka should continue to work towards a common developmental vision for peace and prosperity in the region and the welfare of their people. He stressed that capacity building is an important pillar of bilateral cooperation.
The Defence Minister also described Dr Harini Amarasuriya as a role model for women in both Sri Lanka and India and a symbol of women empowerment and Nari Shakti. He said that India would like to encourage more women from Sri Lanka to avail themselves of scholarships from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and other Government of India initiatives aimed at increasing women’s participation in governance and leadership.
