President returns to island following visit to Maldives
November 18, 2023 11:58 am
President Ranil Wickremesinghe who was on an official visit to the Maldives has returned to the island this morning (18).
The Sri Lankan Head of the State arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake at around 09.30 a.m. today, aboard a Colombo-bound flight from Malé in Maldives, Ada Derana reporter said.
Wickremesinghe left the island for the Maldives on Thursday evening (16) to take part in the inauguration ceremony of Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, president-elect of the Republic of Maldives.
According to foreign media, more than 3,000 guests including the leaders of neighbouring countries had been invited to attend the inauguration.
New Maldivian President Muizzu, in his inauguration speech, said the Indian Ocean archipelago would have a “thick red line” when it comes to security-related issues while pledging to respect the “security red line of any other country”.
Dr. Muizzu won the Maldivian presidential election in September, beating incumbent Ibrahim Solih in a second-round runoff.
Following Dr. Muizzu’s presidential election victory, the Sri Lankan leader had expressed his desire to elevate the existing close and friendly bilateral relations into a robust and multi-faceted partnership.
