Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to pay four-day visit to Sri Lanka

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will start a three-day visit to Sri Lanka from October 2-5, 2021, following the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage. As per ANI, Sri Lanka has acquired a central place in India’s ‘neighbourhood First’ policy. Shringla’s visit to the island nation reportedly signifies the importance that both nations have attached to elevating the already friendly bilateral relations, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.

MEA said in an official release, “At the invitation of the Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage, Foreign Secretary Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla will pay an official visit to Sri Lanka from 02-05 October 2021.”

“Sri Lanka occupies a central place in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. Foreign Secretary’s visit signifies the importance both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest. The visit of Foreign Secretary will provide an opportunity to review our bilateral ties, progress of ongoing bilateral projects and ongoing cooperation to tackle Covid related disruptions,” it added.

India Consigns 150 Tonnes Of Medical Oxygen To Sri Lanka

Earlier on September 4, as COVID-19 cases drastically spiked in Sri Lanka, India consigned about 150 tonnes more oxygen to reach the shores of Colombo. On August 31, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa issued a liberalised regulation on the State's vaccine policy, wherein their health ministry announced that they aim to inoculate 3.7 million people from the 20-30 age group before the end of October 2021. Taking to Twitter, Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka referred to the oxygen arrival as, "Lifeline from India to Sri Lanka'. 

"Lifeblood from India to Sri Lanka !!! About 150 tons of oxygen has reached the Colombo coast from Visakhapatnam and Chennai," they added. It was not the first time that India assisted Sri Lanka amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of India has already sent emergency supplies of medical oxygen to the neighbouring nation. Back in August, the Indian navy delivered 100 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen to Sri Lanka. Last year, almost 26 tonnes of essential medical supplies were consigned to Colombo. 

IMAGE: @IndFoundation/Twitter