Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not have formal talks during his Sri Lanka visit, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said today.<\/p>\n
The Press Trust of India reported that Modi will embark on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka to attend the biggest Buddhist festival \u2018Vesak Day\u2019 as its chief guest.<\/p>\n
The \u2018International Day of Vesak\u2019 celebrations, to be held in Colombo from May 12 to 14, will include an International Buddhist Conference in which over 400 delegates from more than 100 countries will participate.<\/p>\n
Vesak, the most important day in the Buddhist calendar, marks the commemoration of Lord Buddha\u2019s birth, enlightenment and passing away.<\/p>\n
Briefing reporters on Modi\u2019s visit, Joint Secretary (Indian Ocean Region) in the External Affairs Ministry, Sanjay Panda said no formal talks have been scheduled, but Modi will be interacting with the Sri Lankan leaders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do not envisage any formal talks but he will be interacting with the leaders and review the relationship in its entirety. Nothing is specifically earmarked for discussion during the current visit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During the two-day trip, his second to Sri Lanka since becoming the Prime Minister, Modi will also visit Kandy in the Central Province, which is famous for production of Ceylon Tea.<\/p>\n
Panda said India\u2019s ties with Sri Lanka have witnessed qualitative transformation in the last few years and both the countries are willing to strengthen and diversify the relationship further.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel our destinies are intertwined. We hope the Prime Minister\u2019s visit will be able to provide further momentum in the ties between the two countries,\u201d Panda said.<\/p>\n
Modi had travelled to Sri Lanka in March, 2015. His visit to Sri Lanka comes close on the heels of a trip by his counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe here. During that visit, the two countries had signed a pact to boost economic ties as Modi and Wickremesinghe discussed a range of bilateral issues and matters of mutual interest. The pact provided a framework to identify the infrastructure projects where India could invest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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