Indian FM Khurshid's visit to Jaffna
Posted on Wednesday, October 9, 2013 and filed under breakingnews , news . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 . You can leave a response or trackback to this entry from your site
Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who visited Jaffna on Tuesday (8), ceremonially opened two houses under ‘50,000 House Project’, by visiting Thanthai Chelvapuram village at Thellippazhai in Valikaamam North, after landing in Palali, meeting SL military officials and paying tribute to slain Indian soldiers in the war 23 years ago.
Salman Khurshid, addressing the beneficiaries of financial asssistance and the journalists at Tilko hotel said India is committed to the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka and ready to offer its assistance to take the process forward. He further said that India will continue to work with the Government of Sri Lanka, and help in whatever way they can, to take this process forward, in a spirit of partnership and cooperation."
India-funded development cooperation projects, including the housing and railway projects are progressing well and are expected to be completed on schedule, said the Indian External Affairs Minister.
The visiting minister described the housing project as the largest grants assistance programme that government of India has undertaken anywhere in the world. He mentioned that 1,000 houses have been completed so far. Claiming that 16,000 houses were under various stages of their construction, and gave a new deadline for the completion of the 50,000 before the 2015.
He also pointed out that the fishermen's issue has to be dealth with in a humane manner without resorting to violence under any circumstances.
The visiting Minister said he is hopeful that, through the MoU for implementation of the Trilingual Plan, India will be able to contribute to this important initiative to aid national reconciliation and promote harmony among the various linguistic communities in Sri Lanka.
He also talked of a new cultural connectivity project, Jaffna Cultural Centre at a location close to Jaffna Public Library and said, “This would be a very important landmark of important cultural connectivity of our people.”
Seaward connectivity would be restarted with the ferry service between Thalai-Mannaar and Rameswaram, he said noting the assistance by India to develop Thalai Mannaar pier.
Khurshid also said he was pleased with the significant expansion of bilateral trade in goods which is aimed at reaching US$ 5 billion mark.
Indian External Affairs Minister Khurshid also met the Governor of the North and had lunch with him. Thereafter he met the Chief Minister of Northern Provincial Council C.V.Vigneshwaran.
During the visiting Minister's visit to Jaffna, he was accompanies by the Sri Lankan High Commisioner in India Prasad Kariyawasam and Indian High Commissioner Y.K.Sinha.
The Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Kurshid and his delegation who returned from the Palali Airport to Katunayake airport left for India by a special flight, Tuesday night.
Source:www.news.lk
0 Responses for “ Indian FM Khurshid's visit to Jaffna ”
Leave a Reply
Marketplace
