Colombo: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has emphasised the importance of strengthening economic cooperation and regional integration with Japan to India, with a special focus on deepening ties with New Delhi, as his country seeks to emerge from bankruptcy.
Wickremesinghe’s comments came as he was virtually addressing the Head of State Session of the 3rd Voice of Global South Summit, held under the theme “An Empowered Global South for a Sustainable Future.” From the north-central town of Anuradhapura yesterday.
The conference, chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brought together heads of state from various countries.
Reflecting on Indo-Sri Lankan relations, the President emphasised the “vision” statement shared between the two nations, which celebrates their historical cooperation and lays the foundation for future collaboration.
He expressed optimism that this vision will lead to stronger integration between Sri Lanka and India across various sectors.
President Wickremesinghe highlighted Sri Lanka’s strategic commitment to expanding economic partnerships across Asia, particularly through the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).
The President noted that as the Bay of Bengal region emerges as a hub of economic growth, the significance of BIMSTEC continues to rise.
Sri Lanka, as a member, seeks closer economic integration with India and is exploring economic cooperation agreements extending from Japan to India, his office said in a statement.
President Wickremesinghe also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Modi and the people of India for their support during Sri Lanka’s recent economic crisis. The President acknowledged that India’s assistance played a vital role in helping Sri Lanka navigate the challenges of the past two years and emerge from bankruptcy.
“Sri Lanka thanks India for hosting the third virtual seminar on Voices of the Global South. This series enables us to engage with each other to understand our different viewpoints while also helping us arrive at a common stance on many issues confronting the South,” he said.