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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold discussions with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka during his visit to the country next weekend on the progress made in the areas of cooperation agreed upon in the joint vision during the latter’s visit to Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs has said. The areas identified include trade and investment cooperation, development cooperation and debt restructuring.
Prior to his official visit to Sri Lanka on April 4-6, Modi will visit Bangkok on April 3-4 to participate in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit hosted by Thailand on April 4 and have a bilateral meeting with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to review cooperation between the two countries.
“The (BIMSTEC) leaders are expected to deliberate on ways and means to infuse greater momentum to BIMSTEC cooperation during the Summit,” per the MEA statement.
This would be the first physical meeting of the leaders from BIMSTEC countries, which include
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, since the 4th BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018. The 5th BIMSTEC Summit was held at Colombo, Sri Lanka, in March 2022 in virtual format.
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The upcoming visit will mark Putin’s first trip to India since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visits to Russia“The leaders are also expected to discuss various institution and capacity building measures to augment collaboration within the BIMSTEC framework. India has been taking a number of initiatives in BIMSTEC to strengthen regional cooperation and partnership, including in enhancing security; facilitating trade and investment; establishing physical, maritime and digital connectivity; collaborating in food, energy, climate and human security; promoting capacity building and skill development; and enhancing people-to-people ties,” the release noted.
Modi is scheduled to meet his Thai counterpart Shinawatra on April 3. “During the meeting, the two Prime Ministers are expected to review bilateral cooperation and chart the way for future partnership between the countries. India and Thailand are maritime neighbours with shared civilizational bonds which are underpinned by cultural, linguistic, and religious ties,” the release said.
From Thailand, Modi will travel to Sri Lanka on a State visit at the invitation of Disanayaka where the two will review the implementation of the joint vision for “fostering partnerships for a shared future” adopted during the Sri Lankan President’s visit to India in December 2024.
A number of areas were identified in the joint vision which included development cooperation, trade and investment cooperation, training and capacity building, debt restructuring, building connectivity, energy development, education & technology, agriculture & animal husbandry, strategic & defence cooperation, fisheries issues and cultural & tourism development.
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