PM Narendra Modi to Visit Sri Lanka After Maldives, Receives Official Invite From President Sirisena
In his first foreign tour after becoming being sworn-in as Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive time, Narendra Modi will visit Maldives and Sri Lanka on June 7-8.
New Delhi, May 31: In his first foreign tour after becoming being sworn-in as Prime Minister of India for the second consecutive time, Narendra Modi will visit Maldives and Sri Lanka on June 7-8. Initially, PM Modi will visit Maldives and will stop over in Colombo on June 8 as a mark of solidarity with the neighbouring nation that witnessed a deadly terror attack on Easter Sunday. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has officially invited PM Modi. Narendra Modi Cabinet 2.0: Full List of New Ministers Who Took Oath Along With Prime Minister; Portfolios to be Finalised Soon.
Sirisena said, "PM Modi's visit is very important to us, we are neighbor & friends, this relationship b/w India & Sri Lanka dates back over 2600 years. We're eagerly awaiting for his arrival, it's a great honour for the people of Sri Lanka." He also asked all the democratic countries to join hands to fight terrorism.
According to reports, PM Modi could visit St. Anthony’s Church - one of the churches that were attacked in the Easter bombings. Last week reports surfaced that a National Investigation Agency (NIA) team will be visiting Sri Lanka to assist the probe into the terror attacks. Sri Lanka President Sirisena also attended PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony as part of the invite for BIMSTEC leaders. Sirisena will hold a bilateral dialogue with the PM on Friday. Sirisena has maintained a good relation with New Delhi since his election in 2015.
On May 30, Modi took oath as the PM of the country for the second consecutive time. Along with PM Modi, 57 ministers including 24 cabinet and 33 Ministers of State took the Oath. Amit Shah, Arvind Sawant, S Jayashanker, Naresh Pokhriyal, Prahlad Joshi and Arjun Munda were inducted into the cabinet for the first time. In the recently concluded general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party recorded a landslide victory by winning 303 seats.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 31, 2019 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).