Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure the minority Tamils of the island nation “a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity”.
A day after taking over as the new Prime Minister, Modi on Tuesday had a bilateral meeting with Rajapaksa and requested him “to expedite the process of national reconciliation in a manner that meets the aspirations of the Tamil community for a life of equality, justice, peace and dignity in a united Sri Lanka”.
Rajapaksa was among the leaders of the seven South Asian countries, who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Modi and his council of ministers on Monday. Besides Rajapaksa, Modi had bilateral talks with five other leaders of the Saarc nations— Pakistan Prime Minister M Nawaz Sharif, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.
He also had a meeting with Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, who led the delegation from Dhaka for Monday’s ceremony as the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was on a tour to Japan.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks