Our target is to create a million jobs by 2020, says Wickremesinghe

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday said economic cooperation between India and Sri Lanka is not new and has been going on for over 2,500 years.

"Economic cooperation between India and Sri Lanka is nothing new. This has been going on for over 2,500 years. Our target is to make one million jobs in the next five years," Wickremesinghe said on his maiden visit to India after winning elections.

"We are discussing economic cooperation which emphasises on development. I think we are in a unique position that this government(Sri Lankan Government) has a mandate from the people to continue trade and investment with India and for technological development with other countries," he added.

On the issue of Indian fishermen arrested recently for allegedly poaching in Sri Lankan waters, Wickremesinghe said, " We had the occasion of discussing the issue of fishery in the Palk Strait. Hopefully, we will conclude the discussion on this in a time bound framework,"

Earlier, welcoming the Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he had an excellent discussion with the former on a number of issues of mutual interest to both countries.

"We thank you for your belief in and steadfast support for India-Sri Lanka relations. As a close neighbour, we wish Sri Lanka every success and assure you of India's unwavering support. We would like to see our trade grow and become more stable with Sri Lanka," Modi said.