<p>Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will travel to India on an official visit from July 20-21 aimed at further advancing and consolidating the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries, the foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.</p>.<p>President Wickremesinghe will undertake an official visit to India on 20-21 July 2023 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said in a brief statement.</p>.<p>The visit takes place as both countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.</p>.<p>During the visit, President Wickremesinghe would meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi and other Indian dignitaries on a range of issues of mutual interest, the ministry said.</p>.<p>"The visit will further advance and consolidate the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries," it added.</p>.<p>This will be Wickremesinghe’s first visit to India after being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July.</p>.<p>Wickremesinghe has laid emphasis on good relations with India and made it a major plank of his foreign policy.</p>.<p>Last week, President Wickremesinghe, also the country's finance minister, said that Sri Lanka would want to see the Indian rupee used as much as the US dollar.</p>.<p>The visit comes as Sri Lanka's weak economy shows signs of improvement.</p>.<p>Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. India offered Sri Lanka an economic lifeline with dedicated credit lines for fuel and essential items.</p>.<p>The island nation, which declared its first-ever credit default in mid-April last year, secured a bailout of USD 2.9 billion from the IMF in March this year, spanning over 4 years subject to reforms being put in place.</p>
<p>Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will travel to India on an official visit from July 20-21 aimed at further advancing and consolidating the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries, the foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.</p>.<p>President Wickremesinghe will undertake an official visit to India on 20-21 July 2023 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said in a brief statement.</p>.<p>The visit takes place as both countries celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year.</p>.<p>During the visit, President Wickremesinghe would meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi and other Indian dignitaries on a range of issues of mutual interest, the ministry said.</p>.<p>"The visit will further advance and consolidate the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries," it added.</p>.<p>This will be Wickremesinghe’s first visit to India after being appointed President of the cash-strapped country last year following the ouster of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a people's uprising in July.</p>.<p>Wickremesinghe has laid emphasis on good relations with India and made it a major plank of his foreign policy.</p>.<p>Last week, President Wickremesinghe, also the country's finance minister, said that Sri Lanka would want to see the Indian rupee used as much as the US dollar.</p>.<p>The visit comes as Sri Lanka's weak economy shows signs of improvement.</p>.<p>Sri Lanka was hit by an unprecedented financial crisis in 2022, the worst since its independence from Britain in 1948, due to a severe paucity of foreign exchange reserves. India offered Sri Lanka an economic lifeline with dedicated credit lines for fuel and essential items.</p>.<p>The island nation, which declared its first-ever credit default in mid-April last year, secured a bailout of USD 2.9 billion from the IMF in March this year, spanning over 4 years subject to reforms being put in place.</p>