High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India Milinda Moragoda who is on an official visit to the State of  Madhya Pradesh met with the Governor of Madhya Pradesh Shri Mangubhai C. Patel today (10) in Bhopal. The meeting was held at the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor.

Governor Patel extended a warm welcome to High Commissioner Moragoda. The discussion that followed encompassed a range of issues pertaining to Indo-Lanka relations, in particular the ways and means to enhance cooperation between Sri Lanka and the State of Madhya Pradesh. 

High Commissioner Moragoda briefed the Governor of Madhya Pradesh on the current developments in Sri Lanka including the country’s debt restructuring process and the IMF programme. The High Commissioner highlighted the key role that tourist arrivals from India, including from Madhya Pradesh, could play in the economic revival in Sri Lanka, tourism being a main pillar of economic recovery along with investments from India. They also discussed how to further promote Sanchi as a destination for Buddhist pilgrims from Sri Lanka.

High Commissioner Moragoda’s official visit to Madhya Pradesh comes as part of his continuing efforts to reach out to the states of India with a view to expanding Sri Lanka’s footprint at state level and promoting greater interactions between Sri Lanka and the states of the Indian Union.

During his visit to Madhya Pradesh, High Commissioner Moragoda delivered a lecture at the Army War College in Mhow on the topic “Trajectory of India-Sri Lanka relations; 2030” and also visited the Buddhist stupa in Sanchi.

Minister Goyal also holds the Ministerial portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution as well as Textiles. He is the Leader of the House of the Rajya Sabha, the upper House of the Indian Parliament. 

During the discussion between Minister Goyal and High Commissioner Moragoda, which was held in a very cordial manner, a wide range of issues pertaining to the areas of bilateral trade and commerce, particularly aiming at the economic recovery in Sri Lanka, was discussed. 

High Commissioner Moragoda thanked India for the unprecedented support that it has extended to Sri Lanka to mitigate the negative impact of the economic crisis. Recalling India’s timely issuance of financial assurances to the IMF, the first creditor to do so, High Commissioner Moragoda emphasized the key role that India could play in the recovery phase of the Sri Lankan economy. 

Mechanisms relating to the expansion of bilateral trade, the ways to establish and promote rupee trade between Sri Lanka and India as a means of economic recovery in Sri Lanka, and the possibility of further bilateral integration in the textiles and garment sector were among the key issues discussed between the Indian Commerce Minister and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner. 

A Chartered Accountant by profession, Shri Piyush Goyal has also held the Ministerial portfolios of Railways, Finance, Corporate Affairs, Coal, Power, New & Renewable Energy and Mines, previously.

High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to India, Milinda Moragoda met with the Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister of India Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman today (14) at the Ministry of Finance in New Delhi, as the latest of a series of meetings he has had with her since November 2021. 

The meeting between the Finance Minister of India and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka took place just ahead of the first meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers scheduled to be held on 24-25 February 2023 in Bengaluru, chaired by Minister Sitharaman.

During the discussion, High Commissioner Moragoda once again thanked Minister Sitharaman for the unprecedented emergency assistance that India has extended to Sri Lanka and for the timely issuance of India’s financial assurances to the International Monetary Fund, concerning the country’s debt restructuring process.

The High Commissioner also thanked India and Minister Sitharaman for the assistance being provided to Sri Lanka in the present economic recovery phase, in particular for the necessary regulations and approvals that are being set in place to facilitate rupee trade between the two countries. The discussion also focused on the ways and means to utilize the available resources in the 1 billion USD Indian line of credit to import urgently required essential pharmaceuticals, which are in short supply in Sri Lanka.  

High Commissioner Moragoda briefed Minister Sitharaman on Sri Lanka’s ongoing discussions with the International Monetary Fund to obtain the Extended Fund Facility and the present status of the country’s debt restructuring process. While apprising the Minister of the drastic impact the present economic contraction is having on the population of Sri Lanka, High Commissioner Moragoda expressed his appreciation to Minister Sitharaman for her efforts in garnering international support for Sri Lanka’s case including at the G20 forum. 

Continuing his engagement with the key officials of the Government of India, the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in New Delhi Milinda Moragoda met with the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of India Dr. Pramod Kumar Mishra today (10) at the Prime Minister’s Office. 

A cabinet rank official, Dr. Mishra has been serving as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since September 2019. 

The meeting between the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka was held in a very cordial manner, and a range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship was discussed. 

High Commissioner Moragoda thanked Dr. Mishra for the support India has been extending to Sri Lanka in the context of the present economic crisis. The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, while recalling India’s historical and deep ties with Sri Lanka, stated that it was India’s duty to help its neighbour when it faced a crisis.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner also stressed the vital role that India could play in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery phase through tourism. The discussion focused on the ways and means to enhance bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector, including at the State level, using the MoU signed between Sri Lanka and the State of Gujarat in 2009 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat and High Commissioner Moragoda was the Tourism Minister of Sri Lanka, as a template. 

High Commissioner Moragoda also followed-up with Principal Secretary Mishra on the invitation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended to President Ranil Wickremesinghe to visit New Delhi. 

During the past few weeks, High Commissioner Moragoda also met with several other key officials of the Government of India, including Finance Secretary T.V. Somanathan, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Chairman of the NITI Aayog Parameswaran Iyer.