Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has met Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva and his delegation in New Delhi as the Sri Lankan delegation concluded its visit to India.
Following the meeting, Jaishankar said the two sides held a “good discussion” on strengthening the longstanding friendship between India and Sri Lanka.
“As a trusted partner, India will always support Sri Lanka’s progress and prosperity,” Jaishankar said in a social media post.
Silva led a five-member JVP delegation on a visit to India from September 27 to October 1 at the invitation of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), under its “Know BJP” programme. The BJP said the visit was aimed at strengthening engagement between the two parties and facilitating an exchange of organisational experiences.
The delegation included JVP Central Committee member Chandrika Adikari, MP Aboobucker Athambawa, District Committee member Kabilan Suntharamoorthy and International Department member Kalpana Madhubhashini.
During the visit, the delegation held discussions with BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh and other senior BJP leaders. The talks covered the BJP’s organisational structure, grassroots membership network and development programmes in India.
The JVP delegation also visited the Delhi BJP office, where it was welcomed by Delhi BJP President Harsh Malhotra, and held interactions with representatives of the BJP’s women’s and youth organisations. The programme also included visits to the Indian Parliament and the National War Memorial.
Earlier discussions during the visit included issues such as Indian fishermen, refugee resettlement and cooperation between Sri Lanka and India.
The meeting with Jaishankar marked the conclusion of the delegation’s five-day India visit.
