Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will meet Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on December 23 in the aftermath of Operation Sagar Bandhu launched by India after Cyclone Ditwah devastated the island nation. He arrived in Colombo on December 22 to a warm welcome by Sri Lankan Deputy Tourism Minister Ruwan Ranasinghe.
In a post on X on December 23, Jaishankar said, “Looking forward to calling on His Excellency President Anura Kumara Dissanayake this morning. India is proud to have stood by Sri Lanka during Cyclone Ditwah and of its support through Operation Sagar Bandhu.”
Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated earlier in the day, underscores India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and takes place in the context of Operation Sagar Bandhu, launched to address the devastation caused by Cyclone Ditwah. India launched Operation Sagar Bandhu on November 28, as the First Responder in the immediate aftermath of the devastating Cyclone Ditwah, to provide urgent Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) support to Sri Lanka.
Last week, India delivered relief supplies to various regions of flood-hit Sri Lanka, reflecting its steadfast commitment to assisting the neighbouring nation in times of crisis during Operation Sagar Bandhu. On December 18, India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, visited the Kolonnawa suburb of Colombo and the Bhaktivedanta Children’s Home ‘Gokulam’ in Wattala – areas that have been severely affected by floods in the wake of Cyclone Ditwah.
