News
SL reiterates commitment to further strengthening partnership, engagement with littoral states
A Sri Lankan delegation, led by Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation, Nimal Siripala De Silva, together with State Minister of Foreign Affairs,Tharaka Balasuriya, participated in the 6th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) held from 12 to 13 May, in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
The opening session of the event was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, on 12 May evening, in the presence of around 150 foreign representatives, high level government delegations and dignitaries from 25 participating countries in the region.
Under the theme, ‘Peace, Prosperity and Partnership for a Resilient Future’, the event brought together a gathering of key stakeholders to chart the road map for strengthening the Indian Ocean region.Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva delivered Sri Lanka’s statement at the special thematic sessions held on 13 May and underscored Sri Lanka’s engagement in the Indian Ocean region for peace, security and inclusive economic development with maritime partner countries.
He also highlighted the significance of an enhanced Indian Ocean, regionalism that focuses on augmenting cooperation among the maritime domain and stated that such regionalism should strive to create closer linkages between ASEAN, IORA and BIMSTEC.
In his remarks, Minister De Silva also said that Sri Lanka is committed to further strengthening its partnership and engagement with littoral states and fostering trade to further enhance economic activity in the Indian Ocean including blue green economic initiatives and climate change.
The IOC focuses on bringing regional states and principal maritime partners of the region together on a common platform to deliberate upon the prospects of regional cooperation for security and growth in the region.
Members of the South Asian Journalists Forum have gathered at the University of New Delhi for a two day conference themed ‘Peace and Co-operation’.
Journalists from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India are attending the conference hosted by the University of Delhi in collaboration with the India Chapter of SJF, and will deliberate on how the media can act as a catalyst for regional stability and mutual coexsistence.
A tree plantation campaign was also held at the Ghandi Bhawan premises of the University to mark the event and symbolize growing regional ties.
The Sri Lanka delegation is led by President of SJF’s Sri Lanka Chapter Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi.
The Governor of the of Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, along with the Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Harsh Sanghvi, met with Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on Thursdy [February 05] at the Parliamentary Complex to discuss the arrangements related to the exposition of the Devnimori Sacred Relics of Lord Buddha, which have been brought to Sri Lanka under the patronage of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India.
These sacred relics of Lord Buddha were discovered during archaeological excavations conducted in the 1960s at the historic Devnimori site in Gujarat, the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Until now, these relics had never been taken outside India. As a result of discussions held between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, the people of Sri Lanka have been granted this rare opportunity to venerate these sacred relics.
The exposition of the relics is being held for a period of seven days, from February 05 to February 11, at the Gangaramaya Temple in Hunupitiya, Colombo. Discussions were held between both parties regarding the arrangements related to this event.
The discussion was attended by Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture; Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, Acting High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka; Abhijit Halder, Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation; along with several others.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
The Indian Naval Ship (INS) GHARIAL made a port call in Colombo for operational turnarounds on 04 Feb 26. The Sri Lanka Navy welcomed the visiting ship in compliance with naval traditions.
Commanded by Commander Gaurav Tewari, INS GHARIAL is a vessel with a length of 124.8 meters.
During this visit, ten (10) Bailey Bridges, brought by ship, through the coordination of the High Commission of India in Sri Lanka, will be handed over to the Disaster Management Center. These bridges will provide temporary transportation links while bridges damaged across the island by adverse weather conditions are repaired.
The crew’s itinerary features scheduled goodwill activities with the Sri Lanka Navy, alongside visits to several tourist attractions across the island.
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