Colombo

National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, who is in Sri Lanka for the Colombo Security Conference, met his Sri Lankan counterpart Sagala Ratnayaka.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Gunawardene in Colombo on August 29, Doval said that India wants to further enhance cooperation with Sri Lanka and also asked for a priority list of requirements from the Lankan PM.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister said that the energy sector is a dynamic sector and thanked India for supporting large and small scale alternative energy projects, the Prime Minister's Media Division said in a statement.

He said the Government has taken steps to amend the regulations of the Ceylon Electricity Board to facilitate private sector participation in power generation and distribution and Indian investments could be increased in solar and wind power projects.

NSA Doval said that in the long run, Sri Lanka can generate more electricity than its domestic requirement and sell the excess power to India and get huge financial benefits. He informed that Bhutan is selling a large amount of electricity produced from hydropower to India and it is the biggest revenue of that country .

The Prime Minister said that Sri Lanka's Theravada economic policy is based on economic practices in India 25 centuries ago at the time of Gautama Buddha and will complement economic development. He thanked India for providing training to the armed forces and civil servants to enhance their skills and efficiency.

Ajit Doval also met his Sri Lankan counterpart Sagala Ratnayaka, who in an exclusive interview said, "It was a privilege to welcome my Indian counterpart National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to my Colombo residence for in-depth discussions on national security ahead of the Colombo Security Conference. Grateful for his visit and our shared commitment to regional peace and security."

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The National Security Advisor led a high-level delegation, which included High Commissioner Santosh Jha, Additional Secretary Puneet Agarwal and senior officials Akshay Joshi, Gaurav Aluwahaliya and Teja Chandan. Prime Minister's Secretary Anura Dissanayake, Additional Secretary Harsha Wijewardene and Advisor Sugiswara Senadheera also participated in the discussions.