sri lanka

December 17, 2024 1:31 PM

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visits Mahabodhi temple in Bihar

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake paid a visit to the revered Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar's Bodhgaya. Dissanayake is currently on a three-day state visit from December 15-17 to India. Upon his arrival at Gaya Airport, the Sri Lankan President was received by senior government officials. He was warmly welcomed by Buddhist monks as he entered the temple premises. The Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holds great significance for Buddhists worldwide. Located in Bodh Gaya, ...

December 16, 2024 4:31 PM

India and Sri Lanka sign key MoUs to strengthen bilateral ties

India and Sri Lanka signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) in New Delhi on Monday, aimed at expanding cooperation across multiple sectors. The agreements were signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is on a three-day state visit to India. During a joint press conference, PM Modi highlighted India's ongoing support to Sri Lanka, saying that India has provided $5 billion in lines of credit and grant assistance to th...

December 13, 2024 7:28 PM

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to visit India from December 15-17

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is set to embark on a state visit to India from December 15 to December 17, 2024. This will mark his first visit to India following the recently concluded presidential and parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka. According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), President Dissanayake is expected to meet with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit. Discussions will focus on strengthening bil...

November 18, 2024 1:58 PM

Sri Lanka president keeps finance minister role, reappoints Amarasuriya as prime minister

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake retained the key finance minister portfolio and reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as prime minister on Monday as the Indian Ocean island nation targets stronger recovery from a draining financial crisis. Dissanayake, whose leftist coalition won a record 159 seats in the 225-member parliament in a general election last week, also reappointed veteran legislator Vijitha Herath to helm the foreign affairs ministry. Dissanayake, who has held the key fin...

November 14, 2024 10:09 AM

Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election: Voting begins to elect 225 members

Voting in Sri Lanka's parliamentary poll started on Thursday to elect 225 members to the Parliament with President Anura Kumara Dissanyake seeking a majority. President Dissanyake is seeking a majority to govern the sovereign debt-defaulted nation amid calls for a new political culture without corruption and misappropriation of public funds. This would be the first major test of the popularity of the ruling party, National People's Power, led by President Dissanyake. Samagi Jana Sandanaya led b...

October 10, 2024 10:30 AM

Harmanpreet Kaur reflects on India’s victory over Sri Lanka in Women’s T20 World Cup

Following India's crucial 82-run victory over Sri Lanka in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur shared her thoughts on the team's performance. "A lot of things went according to our plan here. I think all the boxes were ticked today. We batted well, bowled well and especially fielded well. We have to play good cricket first of all. Our bowlers are doing well, and they are a good side, but at the same time, it's good to see our bowlers in a good rhythm; they are giving us brea...

October 4, 2024 4:54 PM

Jaishankar meets Sri Lankan counterpart, assures India’s support for economic rebuilding

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Vijitha Herath, in Colombo on Friday. The two leaders discussed various topics of mutual interest during Jaishankar's first visit to Sri Lanka since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry shared images of the meeting and confirmed that Minister Herath welcomed Jaishankar to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they held discussions on a range of bilateral ...

October 4, 2024 12:32 AM

EAM Jaishankar to Visit Sri Lanka, Meet Newly Elected President Dissanayake

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar is set to embark on an official visit to Sri Lanka on October 4, where he will hold talks with the country's newly elected leadership. The visit reaffirms India's commitment to its "Neighbourhood First" policy and the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision, aimed at strengthening maritime and regional cooperation. "This visit underscores the shared commitment of India and Sri Lanka to further deepen their longstanding partnership f...

September 30, 2024 12:44 PM

From Protests to Power: Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s Journey as Sri Lanka’s First Leftist President

It is more than two years since the Aragalaya Protests shook Sri Lanka to the core. Aragalaya means Struggle in the Sinhala language. The imagery of people storming the Presidential Palace and hoisting the Sri Lankan national flag, amid slogans of ‘Gota Go Home’, is fresh in the minds of many, in this island nation of 23 million people. Gota is the nickname of the then President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He fled the country in the wake of the Aragalaya Protests, and, resigned afterwards. Cut t...

September 24, 2024 5:30 PM

Sri Lanka President Dissanayake picks Harini Amarasuriya as PM

Sri Lanka's new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, named Harini Amarasuriya, a college professor and first-time lawmaker, as the new prime minister of the Indian Ocean island nation on Tuesday, making her the third woman to be appointed to the post. Dissanayake, 55, a Marxist-leaning firebrand politician, who was elected president in the election held on Saturday, was also scheduled to pick the rest of his cabinet. An academic with a doctorate in social anthropology from the University of Ed...