Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has extended congratulations to the governments and people of India and Pakistan on their respective Independence Days, Ada Derana reported.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Herath congratulated Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, along with the government and people of India, on the country’s 80th Independence Day. He said he hoped to see further strengthening of what he described as the enduring friendship and multifaceted partnership between Sri Lanka and India.
In a separate post, Herath extended his warmest congratulations to Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, and to the government and people of Pakistan, on Pakistan’s Independence Day. He said he looked forward to further deepening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
Two anniversaries, a day apart
The messages fall on consecutive dates in the South Asian calendar. Pakistan marks its Independence Day on August 14 and India on August 15, the two anniversaries dating to the partition of British India in 1947.
Both countries are long-standing bilateral partners of Sri Lanka. India is Sri Lanka’s largest neighbour and one of its principal trading and development partners, while Pakistan maintains established defence, trade and diplomatic ties with Colombo. Greetings exchanged between foreign ministers on national days are a routine element of that relationship rather than a signal of any new policy position.
Herath holds the foreign affairs portfolio in the National People’s Power government. The Foreign Ministry did not announce any accompanying engagements or visits alongside the messages.
