Indian Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan held a series of bilateral meetings with Sri Lanka’s top political leadership on Sunday, sitting down separately with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.
At the Presidential Secretariat, Radhakrishnan and President Dissanayake held what officials described as productive talks on deepening multifaceted bilateral ties rooted in shared history and people-to-people linkages. The agenda covered the Indian Housing Project, projects under a USD 450 million Indian assistance package for reconstruction in areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah, and the situation of fishermen in both countries, which the two sides agreed to address in a humanitarian manner.
The Cyclone Ditwah package is targeted in particular at Indian Origin Tamil communities in severely impacted regions, where the Indian Housing Project will deliver new homes under its third phase.
Discussions with Prime Minister Amarasuriya focused on economic cooperation and broader bilateral ties, with NewsFirst describing the engagement as “key discussions.”
Meeting Opposition Leader Premadasa, the Vice President discussed expanding trade and economic cooperation and further strengthening links between the two countries. Premadasa leads the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, the largest opposition bloc in Parliament.
Radhakrishnan was also scheduled to address the Indian diaspora at a community event in Colombo, where he is expected to virtually hand over houses built with Indian government assistance to Tamil community beneficiaries.
The Vice President arrived in Colombo earlier on Sunday at the start of his Sri Lanka visit, which also includes a planned engagement with the Tamil community in Nuwara Eliya.
