Sri Lanka

Wickremesinghe participated in the 'Ocean Nations: The 3rd Annual Indo-Pacific Islands Dialogue,' on Tuesday which was moderated by Dan Baer, Senior Vice President for Policy Research at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The event was hosted by the Carnegie Endowment and Sasakawa Foundation.

"The comprehensive document outlined protecting the sovereignty of the island nation, avoiding military alliances, refraining from conflicts in the Indian Ocean, countering non-state actors adverse to Sri Lanka and contributing to global peace had been handed over to the Cabinet," the President Media Division (PMD) said issuing a statement on Friday.

Moragoda said this on August 30 while describing about the regional dynamics and developments in the Indian Ocean at a lecture on topic 'India-Sri Lanka Relations: Promoting Connectivity, Catalysing Prosperity' at the Ananta Centre, New Delhi, Sri Lanka Foreign Ministry in Colombo said in a statement.

Addressing an event at a school in Colombo on Wednesday, President Wickremesinghe said education in Sri Lanka will have to change drastically to fit into the future.

The gratitude towards India came on Wednesday from Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s senior Advisor on National Security Sagala Ratnayaka when he was accepting a successor Indian Navy Dornier aircraft handed over to the Sri Lanka Air Force. 

In a statement, the Navy said the warship, HAI YANG 24 HAO of China's People's Liberation Army, arrived in the capital city on Thursday. The 129 metre-long ship is manned by a crew of 138 and commanded by Commander Jin Xin. It will depart on Saturday, the statement added.

Making a special statement to the Parliament on Wednesday, President Wickremesinghe said: "It must be understood that engaging in a robust relationship with our closest neighbour India would undoubtedly strengthen our ability towards ensuring mutually beneficial cooperation.

“Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi will now be the mission responsible for Norway in India, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives headed by the Norwegian Ambassador to India,” it added. The decision came months after the announcement by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that five of its overseas missions would be closed down, including the Embassy of Norway in Colombo.

The focus was particularly on the northern Jaffna Peninsula and Trincomalee on the northeast coast of the country as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe underlined the "cardinal importance" of promoting and strengthening connectivity in all its dimensions during their meeting in New Delhi today.

“We are a neutral country, but we also emphasise on the fact that we cannot allow Sri Lanka to be used as a base for any threat against India," President Wickremsinghe said in an interview with French media.  When inquired about China’s presence in Sri Lanka, especially militarily, Wickremsinghe responded “We have no military agreement with China; there won't be any military agreements, and I do not think China will enter into one,”