Gaya (Bihar) [India], December 17 (ANI): Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake landed in Bihar earlier today and paid a visit to the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya. Upon his arrival, he was received by senior government officials at the Gaya Airport.

The Sri Lankan President was warmly received by Buddhist monks as he went inside the Temple premises.

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The Mahabodhi Temple, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site holds great importance for the followers of Buddhism. As per the website of Bihar Tourism, the temple is an ancient Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, marking the location where the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment.

In a special briefing on Monday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's visit to India marks a pivotal moment in furthering the already robust partnership between the two nations. He emphasized that this visit, being Dissanayake's first foreign trip to India after assuming office, underscores the strong and multifaceted ties between the two nations.

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During a special briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the visit of President Dissanayake's visi, Misri said, "The visit aims to expand this very robust partnership and take its frontiers even further. President Dissanayake thanked India for its instrumental role in finalising debt restructuring, and the provision of grant assistance to undertake development projects in Sri Lanka. In particular, he thanked India for USD 20.66 million as grant assistance to settle the payments related to seven completed lines of credit projects in Sri Lanka."

The Foreign Secretary further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed India's commitment to supporting Sri Lanka's economic stabilisation efforts.

Earlier on Monday, the Sri Lankan President Dissanayake thanked Prime Minister Modi and President Droupadi Murmu for the warm hospitality extended to the Sri Lankan delegation.

"It is a privilege to visit India on my first overseas trip as President and I am grateful to PM @narendramodi for supporting Sri Lanka during the economic crisis and for aiding debt restructuring. We discussed trade, defence, energy, BRICS, UNCLCS, and stopping illegal fishing during our meeting today. I invited PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka and assured India that Sri Lanka's territory would not be used against India's security interests", he wrote on X.

https://x.com/anuradisanayake/status/1868630044421296161

Notably, the Sri Lankan President is on a three-day state visit to India from December 15-17.

This is the first bilateral visit of Dissanayake to India after assuming office in September. (ANI)

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