High Commission of Sri Lanka in India

High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam met the Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, at his official Residence in Patna, recently.  Bihar being the state where Bodhgaya and several sites such as Rajgir associated with the life and enlightenment of Guatama Buddha are located, is an important state for Sri Lankans.   Bihar is also home to Nalanda, the ancient religious centre of higher learning. At present, approximately 200,000 Sri Lankan pilgrims visit Bihar every year. 

Minister of External Affairs Prof. GL Peiris who is currently in New Delhi in connection with the 8th Session of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission called on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 23 January. Minister Peiris conveyed the greetings of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Prime Minister Singh. Recalling President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s recent visit to India in September 2012, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requested Minister Peiris to convey his warm personal regards to the President and assured Minister Peiris that India’s cooperation with Sri Lanka in all sectors is accorded highest priority. 

The Eighth meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was held on 22 January 2013 in New Delhi. It was co-chaired by Shri Salman Khurshid, Minister of External Affairs of India and Prof. G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs of Sri Lanka. The Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting at the level of the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries on 21 January 2013.

Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Neomal Perera, met the envoys of 79 countries accredited to Sri Lanka from New Delhi this week and briefed them about the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) that will be held in Colombo from 12-14 November 2013 preceding the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). He explained to the envoys that CHOGM is being held in Asia which is now a region of high growth and opportunity, after a lapse of 25 years, and that the Commonwealth Business Forum 2013 would be a useful platform for all countries to forge flourishing economic links and for business persons to interact with Heads of Government and senior officials as well. Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Nivard Cabraal and High Commissioner Prasad Kariyawasam joined the Deputy Minister at the briefings.