Will Work With India For Prosperity: Sri Lanka Premier To PM Modi

Sri Lanka's new Prime Minister Mahinda Rajpaksa today said that he would work with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for peace and prosperity for both the countries and the region.

Thanking PM Modi for his congratulatory message, Mr Rajpaksa, who was sworn in on Thursday as Sri Lankan premier by his younger brother and President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, said the two countries will continue to work closely to strengthen the bilateral ties.

"Thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Let us continue to promote our shared partnership for peace and prosperity for both our countries and the region," he said in a tweet.

Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi. Let us continue to promote our shared partnership for peace and prosperity for both our countries and the region. https://t.co/BV248yIYAO

- Mahinda Rajapaksa (@PresRajapaksa) November 21, 2019

Earlier, PM Modi congratulated Mr Rajpaksa on being sworn in as the new prime minister of Sri Lanka, saying he looks forward to work with him to further strengthen relations between the two nations.

"Congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. I look forward to working closely with him for further strengthening fraternal India-Sri Lanka ties," the prime minister wrote on Twitter.

In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs today said it was ready to work very closely with the new government in Sri Lanka and expressed hope that it will fulfill aspirations of the minority Tamil community living in the island country.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs underlined India's willingness to work closely with the new government.

President Gotabhaya has accepted PM Modi's invitation to visit India on November 29.