Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa spoke on Saturday and discussed issues relevant to the bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including the coronavirus pandemic, an Indian government’s statement said.

The Indian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the leaders “reviewed topical developments and the ongoing cooperation between both countries in bilateral and multilateral forums.”

“They agreed to maintain regular contact between relevant officials, including in the context of the continuing COVID-19 challenges. Prime Minister reiterated the importance of Sri Lanka to India’s Neighbourhood First policy,” the PMO’s statement added.

Prime Minister Modi also tweeted about the conversation with the Sri Lankan leader. “Had a telephone conversation with President @GotabayaR. We discussed issues relevant to our bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including in the context of COVID-19,” PM Modi said.

India gifted 500,000 doses of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII) to Sri Lanka, which kicked off the island nation’s vaccine rollout in late January. Rajapaksa thanked India in January for its generosity after he received the doses of Covishield vaccine donated by the country under the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

Source: Hindustan Times

Had a telephone conversation with President @GotabayaR. We discussed issues relevant to our bilateral and multilateral cooperation, including in the context of COVID-19.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 13, 2021