News

Sri Lankan delegation led by Speaker to meet Kovind, Modi

09 Sep, 2018

An eight-member Sri Lankan Parliamentary delegation led by?Speaker?Karu Jayasuriya?is here on a three-day trip at the invitation of?Indian Parliament?to strengthen relations between the two countries, IANS reported.

The delegation, which includes MPs of Tamil parties, will call on?President?Ram Nath Kovind,?Prime?Minister?Narendra Modi?and External Affairs?Minister?Sushma Swaraj?on Monday and discuss issues of bilateral interest.

Leader?of the Opposition in Sri Lankan Parliament, R. Sampanthan of Tamil National Alliance (TNA),?Douglas Devananda?of Eelam People’s?Democratic Party?(EPDP), a former Minister, and Mano Ganesan, a?Minister?in the Ranil Wickeramasinghe government, are part of the delegation.

Devananda said he would utilize the opportunity to submit to the?Indian government?issues of concern related to Sri Lankan Tamils and the need for a?political solution?based on the India-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

He said he was not particularly enthusiastic about the proposed Constitutional amendment being talked about by the?Sri Lankan government?in relation to Tamils.

The others in the delegation are?Hakim Rauf?of?Sri Lanka?Muslim Congress, Nimal Sripala Desilva of Sri Lankan Freedom Party,?Gayantha Karunatilake?of?United National Party?and?Vijaya Herath?of?Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.

The Sri Lankan MPs are also expected to visit?Agra?and?Bengaluru?before returning to Colombo. (Colombo Gazette)

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