India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar arrived in Sri Lanka this evening (Jan 19), on an official visit.

He arrived from the Maldives, where he engaged in bilateral talks with President Mohamed Solih and Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid.

During his visit to Sri Lanka, Jaishankar will call on President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

Meanwhile, a discussion between the Indian external affairs minister and his Sri Lankan counterpart Minister Ali Sabry is also scheduled to take place. The focus of this meeting will fall on the entire gamut of a close India-Sri Lanka partnership and steps to strengthen it in all spheres, the Indian External Ministry said earlier in a statement.

Jaishankar’s visit comes a day after India officially conveyed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it strongly supports Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring plan.

Sri Lanka is trying to secure a bridge loan of USD 2.9 billion from the IMF and making efforts to get the financial assurances from its major bilateral creditors – India, China and Japan. The IMF has stated that it would not release the funds until India and China agree to write down Sri Lanka’s debt.

“We hereby confirm our strong support for Sri Lanka’s prospective (loan) program and commit to supporting Sri Lanka with financing/debt relief consistent with restoring Sri Lanka’s public debt sustainability,” Indian finance ministry official Rajat Kumar Mishra told the IMF chief in a letter dated January 16, 2023.

India’s External Affairs Ministry, in a statement issued to announce Jaishankar’s visit, reiterated that both the Maldives and Sri Lanka are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy a special place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and ‘Neighbourhood First’.

Jaishankar had earlier visited Sri Lanka in January 2021 and March last year.