India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi extending congratulations to his Sri Lankan counterpart, Mahinda Rajapaksa on the occasion of the 73rd Anniversary of the Independence Day of Sri Lanka, wished the strong ties between the two nations would be further cemented in the years to come.
Prime Minister Modi’s congratulatory message on the occasion comes a day after the Indian High Commission in Colombo called on the Sri Lankan government to honor its agreement signed during the previous government to develop the container terminal at the Colombo Port.
The Sri Lankan cabinet on Monday approved to develop the Eastern Container Terminal (ECT) as a wholly-owned container terminal of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and instead offered India and Japan to develop the West Container Terminal.
In his message to Prime Minister Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated the shared deep-rooted millennia old ties based on shared linguistic, religious and cultural traditions.
He underlined the cooperation between the two nations over the past year, including in the joint fight against the COVID19 pandemic. He further wished that the strong ties between the two nations would be further cemented in the years to come, and contribute to the progress and common prosperity of our peoples.
“The congratulatory letter is in continuation of regular interactions between India and Sri Lanka at the leadership level, which has resulted into significant strides in the field of development cooperation, trade and economic ties, people to people contacts despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the High Commission stated.
