A delegation led by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva held discussions today with Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, focusing on strengthening relations between India and Sri Lanka, as well as exploring sector-specific cooperation.
Welcoming the delegation in Gandhinagar, Chief Minister Patel said that under the leadership of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ties between India and Sri Lanka have grown stronger.
“India and Sri Lanka share deep-rooted historical and cultural ties, and this meeting will be fruitful in giving further momentum to these long-standing relations,” Patel said. Highlighting Gujarat’s governance model, he described the state as policy-driven and noted that Sri Lanka could benefit from Gujarat’s sectoral policies in areas of mutual interest. He added that through mutual coordination, Sri Lanka could leverage Gujarat’s policy frameworks in sectors it is keen to partner in.
The discussions also covered tourism cooperation, including measures to encourage more visitors from Gujarat to travel to Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, JVP General Secretary Silva said his visit to Gujarat and India was his first and expressed appreciation for the state’s progress. Referring to India as the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Prime Minister Modi, Silva said he was emotionally moved by the visit and impressed by Gujarat’s development trajectory.
Silva also thanked the central and state governments for providing the sacred relics of Lord Buddha for public exposition in Colombo, and acknowledged India’s continued support to Sri Lanka during times of need, including assistance for infrastructure development.
He further expressed interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between Gujarat and Sri Lanka, citing his visit to Amul as an example of a successful cooperative enterprise. Silva said Sri Lanka is keen to learn from Gujarat’s expertise through knowledge sharing and technical cooperation across multiple sectors, including the cooperative sector.
