New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs has said that it stands with Colombo and will continue to provide assistance to Sri Lanka which faces financial difficulties.
“As you are all aware External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had convened a virtual meeting with Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa on January 15. During the meeting, S Jaishankar conveyed that India stands with Sri Lanka and will continue to provide assistance to the country,” said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, during a virtual press briefing on Friday.
“The USD 400 million currency swap facility with Lanka has been extended and nearly USD 500 million due for settlement to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) has also been deferred for the two months,” said Bagchi.
The spokesperson also informed that these steps will surely benefit Sri Lanka as it faces financial difficulties.
Further, Bagchi noted that India has also provided a Line of Credit worth USD 500 million to Sri Lanka for the purchase of fuel.
The spokesperson also said that External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had invited him (the Bangladeshi counterpart) for the joint consultative commission meeting.
“During his telephonic conversation with Bangladeshi counterpart on January 6th, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had invited him (the Bangladeshi counterpart) for the joint consultative commission meeting,” said Bagchi.
“As you know mutually convenient dates for such events are finalised through diplomatic channels. We will share updates on this once we have them,” he added.
