EAM Jaishankar likely to visit Sri Lanka next week, say officials

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to visit Sri Lanka on June 20, Foreign Ministry sources said here on Saturday.

Sri Lanka was anticipating a visit by Jaishankar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi too was expected to visit the island nation at a later date, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry told reporters on Friday.

Sabry said the visits were a sequel to President Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to New Delhi last week to attend Modi's swearing-in ceremony after he won the third term.

However, there was no official announcement on Jaishankar's visit from India's Ministry of External Affairs.

If confirmed, this could be Jaishankar's first official stand-alone visit abroad after he was appointed India's External Affairs Minister in the new government.

The last time that Jaishankar was in Colombo was in October 2023 to participate in the 23rd Council of Ministers' meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

News portal Adaderana.lk said during the recent meeting with President Wickremesinghe in India, Jaishankar addressed the swift resumption of development projects initiated in Sri Lanka with Indian investments, which had been halted midway.

Jaishankar expressed his intent to visit Sri Lanka in the near future to oversee the progress of these activities, the news portal said, adding, the Indian minister assured that he would visit Sri Lanka soon to coordinate the Prime Minister's visit and expedite the commencement of development projects funded by Indian investments.

Jaishankar has also noted plans for an industrial zone in Trincomalee, to be established by the Indian government, which will attract numerous Indian investors and potentially investors from other countries, the portal added.