Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said that Sri Lanka has survived two difficult years of its economic crisis because of the financial support of 3.5 billion US dollars from India. Addressing the 31st All India Partners Meet in Colombo yesterday, he reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening ties with New Delhi, emphasizing joint efforts in sustainable energy projects. Wickremesinghe highlighted the recent discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on accelerating projects such as grid interconnection and the Sampur solar power project. He said that both the leaders also held discussions on enhancing the land connectivity between Sri Lanka and India and expediting the Trincomalee Development Project, aimed at industrial zones and tourism. Additionally, there are plans for a multi-product oil pipeline from Nagapattinam to Trincomalee, he added.

The island nation’s journey into economic turmoil saw its first sovereign default in April 2022, since it gained independence from Britain in 1948. The unprecedented financial crisis led President Wickremesinghe’s predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa to quit office in 2022.