President Ranil Wickremesinghe attended the swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi, who was sworn in for the third time as the Prime Minister of India, equalling the record of former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led DNA alliance won the election held over 44 days on a staggered basis. This is regarded as the biggest election in the democratic world, with nearly 600 million people eligible to vote.
The President was accompanied on his Air India flight by a group of journalists from Colombo. President Wickremesinghe congratulated Mr. Modi on the phone even before the full results of Modi’s victory were released and subsequently he received a special invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi.
Upon arrival at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi, President Wickremesinghe was received by P. Kumaran, Additional Secretary of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs; Santosh Jha, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka; Puneeth Agrawal, Additional Secretary of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR); and Shenuka Seneviratne, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India. A special cultural show reflecting Indian culture was organised at the IGI airport in honour of President Wickremesinghe.
Security measures
President Ranil Wickremesinghe with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
During his stay at the well-known ITC Maurya Hotel, a hub for political activities in New Delhi, special security measures were in place due to the presence of numerous local and foreign dignitaries attending the oaths taking ceremony. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs ensured significant media coverage for President Wickremesinghe’s visit, with displays featuring his image alongside other regional leaders and Prime Minister Modi in and around New Delhi.
The swearing-in ceremony, at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the presence of President Draupadi Murmu, had special security measures and flight restrictions over the venue. The event was attended by regional leaders including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, the Vice President of Seychelles, the Prime Minister of Mauritius, and the Prime Minister of Bhutan, among around 9,000 Indian and international guests. Special hoardings erected throughout New Delhi welcomed the Chief Guests including President Wickremesinghe. Indian media also gave wide publicity to the Sri Lankan President’s arrival.
During the ceremony, the announcer made special mention of President Wickremesinghe, and he was notably seated to the left of Prime Minister Modi on the main dais, a position maintained during the subsequent dinner. As the elder Statesman of South Asia, the delegates stood up when President Wickremesinghe entered the stage. After taking the oath of office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posed for a group photo with the regional leaders, with President Wickremesinghe seated next to him.
Potential Free Trade Agreement
President Wickremesinghe extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Sri Lanka, which was well-received. The President left only around 11 p.m. after holding discussions with the other South Asian and African leaders.
The following day, President Wickremesinghe had meetings with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, who was yet to be sworn in. Prime Minister Hasina praised President Wickremesinghe for his leadership in transforming Sri Lanka, highlighting the short time frame of his achievements. They discussed agricultural modernisation, with President Wickremesinghe proposing a study visit to Bangladesh for a Sri Lankan agricultural team.
They also discussed a potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, to follow the completion of the India Sri Lanka FTA. Prime Minister Hasina promised to encourage Bangladeshi private investors to invest in Sri Lanka and discussed starting a passenger ferry service between the two countries. The President thanked Bangladesh for assisting Sri Lanka at the height of the economic crisis, along with neighbouring India.
President Wickremesinghe meets Indian
Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar
Premier Hasina invited President Wickremesinghe for an official visit to Bangladesh, perhaps during the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit. The President said that the BIMSTEC Summit is being held during the election period in Sri Lanka and he would be glad to send Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, PC, to the event. The President, however, assured the Prime Minister of Bangladesh that he would visit Bangladesh after the election.
During his meeting with Dr. Jaishankar, President Wickremesinghe reiterated the invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Sri Lanka at a suitable time. It has since been announced that the Indian EAM will be visiting Sri Lanka from June 20 to discuss this visit and other bilateral issues with Sri Lankan leaders.
Indian investment projects
They also discussed ongoing and stalled Indian investment projects in Sri Lanka, with a focus on revitalising them. Discussions included India’s “Neighbourhood First” and SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region) policies and the establishment of an industrial zone in Trincomalee, which aims to attract Indian and United Arab Emirates (UAE) investors. It was revealed that many Indian investors had already lined up to invest there.
The duo also agreed on the importance of resolving the Indo-Lanka fisheries dispute and modernising agriculture in Sri Lanka with Indian help. President Wickremesinghe said that the new Economic Transformation Act (ETA) will devolve powers in agriculture, health, education, and economic management to the Provincial Councils (PCs). President Wickremesinghe said that the Truth and Reconciliation Bill (TRB) will be submitted to Parliament by next July to establish lasting peace in the country.
President Wickremesinghe unveiled plans to declare estate line rooms as estate villages via a special gazette, promoting their development with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ involvement. The visit concluded with mutual congratulations and the participation of President Wickremesinghe’s delegation, including Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake, Secretary to the Foreign Ministry Aruni Wijewardene, Director General of Government Information Dinith Chinthaka Karunaratne, and the President’s Private Secretary Sandra Perera.
President Wickremesinghe returned to Colombo on June 11after completing a successful two-day official visit to India. This visit, the President’s second official visit to the Indian capital, has bolstered the excellent relationship between the two neighbouring countries, while boosting Sri Lanka’s ties with all IOR countries that were represented at Premier Modi’s oath-taking ceremony in New Delhi.
