Indian, Sri Lankan Leaders Call For Greater Trade Cooperation During Summit - New Delhi

Indian, Sri Lankan Leaders Call for Greater Trade Cooperation During Summit - New Delhi

Leading representatives from the Indian and Sri Lankan governments have called for greater trade cooperation to mitigate the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic during the inaugural India-Sri Lanka Virtual Bilateral Summit on Saturday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release

NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th September, 2020) Leading representatives from the Indian and Sri Lankan governments have called for greater trade cooperation to mitigate the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic during the inaugural India-Sri Lanka Virtual Bilateral Summit on Saturday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.

New Delhi's representatives included Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa led the delegation from Colombo, which also included Dinesh Gunawardena, the island nation's minister of foreign affairs.

"Both leaders discussed the economic dimension of the challenges posed by COVID-19. They acknowledged the need for close coordination on issues such as trade and investment including the facilitation of an enabling environment for economic enterprises on both sides and deepening the integration of supply chains for mutual benefit," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Modi also expressed his hope that the Sri Lankan authorities would remove certain import restrictions that have been put into place, adding that a $15 million agreement had also been reached to promote Buddhist ties between the two countries, the ministry said.

In turn, Rajapaksa gave thanks to the Indian Coast Guard and Navy for their assistance in responding to a fire that broke out on the MT New Diamond oil tanker off the coast of Sri Lanka earlier in September.

The vessel had been transporting 270,000 metric tons of oil from Kuwait to India before it caught fire on September 3.