A delegation of Sri Lanka’s ruling party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), led by its General Secretary Tilvin Silva, held discussions with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Monday, focusing on strengthening India-Sri Lanka relations and exploring avenues for sector-specific cooperation.
Welcoming the delegation in Gandhinagar, Patel said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, relations between India and Sri Lanka had become more robust.
“India and Sri Lanka share deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, and this meeting will be fruitful in giving further momentum to these long-standing relations,” the Chief Minister said.
Highlighting Gujarat’s governance model, Patel described the state as a policy-driven one and said Sri Lanka could benefit from Gujarat’s sectoral policies in areas of mutual interest.
“Through mutual coordination, Sri Lanka can take advantage of Gujarat’s policy frameworks in sectors it is keen to partner in,” he said.
The discussions also touched upon tourism cooperation, including measures to encourage more visitors from Gujarat to travel to Sri Lanka.
JVP General Secretary Silva said his visit to Gujarat and India was his first and expressed appreciation for the state’s progress.
Referring to India as the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Prime Minister Modi, he said he was “emotionally moved” by the visit and impressed by Gujarat’s development trajectory.
The JVP General Secretary thanked the Central and State governments for providing the sacred relics of Lord Buddha for an exhibition organised in Colombo.
He also acknowledged India’s support to Sri Lanka during times of need. “India has always stood by Sri Lanka, including through assistance in infrastructure development when the country required support,” Silva added.
He expressed interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between Gujarat and Sri Lanka and referred to his visit to Amul as an example of a successful cooperative enterprise.
Silva said Sri Lanka was keen to learn from Gujarat’s expertise through “knowledge sharing and know-how” across sectors, including the cooperative sector.
Inviting Sri Lanka to participate as a partner country in the Vibrant Summit-2027, Patel said, “The platform would provide an opportunity to explore investment and collaboration prospects.”
He also shared details of the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conferences (VGRC) initiative, aimed at showcasing Gujarat’s regional industrial capabilities globally in line with the Prime Minister’s vision.
–IANS
