'India gave a breath of life': Sri Lankan President

Story by  ATV | Posted by  Nakul Shivani • 1 Years ago
Ranil Wickremesinghe
Ranil Wickremesinghe

 

Colombo

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday thanked India for giving a 'breath of life' to the country that was economically ailing with major shortages of essential items such as food, fuel and medicine.

"I wish to specially mention the assistance provided by India, our closest neighbour, in our efforts in economic revitalisation. The Government of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given us a breath of life," Wickremesinghe said delivering his maiden Presidential Policy statement in Parliament.

 "On behalf of my people and that of my own, I convey our gratitude to Prime Minister Modi, the Government and people of India," the Sri Lankan President said.

The new President also stressed the importance of maintaining a non-aligned foreign policy.

While Sri Lanka holds historic, cultural and ethnic ties with India, the other major super power in the region, China, island's largest bilateral creditor and trade partner has been in a race to mark its presence throughout the country.

However, according to reports while China has still provided the economically bankrupt country with humanitarian assistance of a mere US$74 million, India from January has assisted with nearly $4 billion assistance for food, fuel and medicine.

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From early this year, Sri Lanka has been going through, the worst-ever economic crisis in its history with major shortages of essential commodities. The island nation witnessed cash crunch, people taking to the streets leading to toppling of the Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa-led governments.