'Stable Sri Lankan government is important to India': Gotabaya Rajapaksa accepts PM Modi's invite

'Stable Sri Lankan government is important to India': Gotabaya Rajapaksa accepts PM Modi's invite

He was elected as the president last week, his campaign promises were to end religious extremism in the Buddhist-majority country and national security.

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Thursday, November 21, 2019, 10:38 AM IST
article-image
Sri Lanka's newly elected president Gotabaya Rajapaksa addresses the nation after his swearing in ceremony held at the 140 B.C Ruwanweli Seya Buddhist temple in ancient kingdom of Anuradhapura in northcentral Sri Lanka Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. | Photo credits: PTI

Namal Rajapaksa, the son of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, says relationships between Sri Lanka, India and China were once "misinterpreted", he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "progressive approach" towards foreign policy.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, who led the Sri Lankan government from 2005 and 2015, was believed to favour China during his time which had raised concerns over New Delhi's ties with Colombo.

Namal Rajapaksa, Sri Lankan MP told NDTV, "The relationship between Sri Lanka and India and China was misinterpreted and miscommunicated to the leaders".

"Prime Minister Modi has a more progressive approach and a very open minded approach towards foreign policy and he gives priority for the region. He has shown interest in establishing foreign relations with regional countries and across the border, which we believe," he added.

Sri Lanka's new President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has accepted PM Modi’s invitation to visit India next week.

Mr Rajapaksa thanked PM Modi for accepting Sri Lanka’s mandate, he said, "A stable government in Sri Lanka is important to India as well".

Rajapaksa is credited for ending Sri Lanka’s long-standing civil war against the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) during his tenure as the defence secretary. He was elected as the president last week, his campaign promises were to end religious extremism in the Buddhist-majority country and national security.

When asked to comment on the misgivings of Tamil Nadu politicians about the Lankan elections, the newly elected President said that some politicians use the Sri Lankan Tamil issue for their "own personal gains".

"What have they done for Sri Lankan Tamils? There are many serious issues like the fishing issue but what have these politicians done to uplift the livelihood of Sri Lankan Tamils?", he told NDTV.

"We have to understand one thing - Sri Lanka went through a bad phase, went through a brutal war for the last 30 years. We were fighting against the LTTE. Unfortunately this fight against the Sri Lankans and the LTTE was portrayed by the LTTE as a fight between the Singhalese and the Tamil. It was totally wrong," he added.

RECENT STORIES

Gujarat Shocker: Young Man's Corpse Mistakenly Handed Over As Spare Parts At Sardar Vallabhbhai...

Gujarat Shocker: Young Man's Corpse Mistakenly Handed Over As Spare Parts At Sardar Vallabhbhai...

'Hero No. 1' Govinda Joins Shiv Sena In Presence Of Eknath Shinde, Likely To Contest From Mumbai...

'Hero No. 1' Govinda Joins Shiv Sena In Presence Of Eknath Shinde, Likely To Contest From Mumbai...

'Good Luck To Mann Saheb': Being In ED Custody, Arvind Kejriwal Congratulates Punjab CM On Birth Of...

'Good Luck To Mann Saheb': Being In ED Custody, Arvind Kejriwal Congratulates Punjab CM On Birth Of...

VIDEO: Noida Girls, Partner Arrested For Making Obscene Holi Videos On Moving Scooter & Inside Delhi...

VIDEO: Noida Girls, Partner Arrested For Making Obscene Holi Videos On Moving Scooter & Inside Delhi...

Bengaluru: News Agency ANI Reporter Slaps & Hurls Abuses At PTI Journalist During DK Shivakumar...

Bengaluru: News Agency ANI Reporter Slaps & Hurls Abuses At PTI Journalist During DK Shivakumar...