Sri Lankan president accorded ceremonial reception

New Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan Monday in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sirisena along with his wife Jayanthi Sirisena also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.

This is the Sri Lankan president's maiden foreign trip after assuming office following the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa in last month's election. He arrived in India on a four-day state visit Sunday.

President Sirisena is scheduled to hold talks with the Indian prime minister at Hyderabad House in Delhi later in the day.

After the delegation-level talks over a working lunch, both sides are to sign various agreements in the afternoon.

Sirisena will meet President Mukherjee in the evening, which will be followed by a presidential dinner in his honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Sirisena has said he is keen to further relations with India.

After his victory in the presidential election, Modi had congratulated and invited him to visit New Delhi.