On the invitation of the Bandaranaike Center for International Studies (BCIS) Colombo, a delegation led by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, MP, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and former Union Minister, will visit Sri Lanka from 4 to 10 June 2013. Other members of the delegation are:
Shri Suresh Prabhu, Former Union Minister
Shri Vivek Katju, IFS, Former Secretary, MEA
Shri Swapan Dasgupta, Eminent Columnist and Political Commentator
A strategic dialogue is scheduled with the BCIS-led delegation wherein various issues and concerns regarding India - Sri Lanka relations will be discussed. The delegation also is scheduled to attend a function wherein, a commemorative postal stamp of Swami Vivekananda will be released by HE Shri Mahinda Rajapaksa marking the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of the great Hindu monk. The delegation will visit Jaffna on 5-6 June and hold meetings with the representatives of local Tamil groups besides visiting projects being sponsored by Government of India in the war-ravaged Northern Province. In Colombo, the delegation will meet the political and the executive leadership of Sri Lanka including H.E the President, the Speaker of the Parliament, the Defence Secretary, the Urban Development Minister, Minister for Publicity and the Leader of the Opposition. The delegation's visit also includes receptions to be hosted by the Foreign Minister, the Colombo-based Sri Lankan Tamil community and the Indian High Commission. Through this visit the delegation wishes to highlight the need for closer strategic and people-to-people relations between India and Sri Lanka. Peace and prosperity in the neighbourhood is paramount for India. Sri Lanka is a close neighbour and for over a millennia, a civilizational cousin of India. This delegation, from the India Foundation on the invitation of the BCIS, is a goodwill mission to Sri Lanka. We wish to contribute to the strengthening of
the ties between the two countries and ensuring peace and justice in
the region.
the ties between the two countries and ensuring peace and justice in
the region.
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