New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said a string of projects worth Rs 75 crore have been announced for the Tamils of Indian origin living in Sri Lanka.

Speaking in the presence of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who arrived in India on Thursday on a two-day official visit to India, he said, “I am confident Sri Lanka will keep working to fulfil aspirations of the Tamil community.”

The Prime Minister said that 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations and the bicentennial celebration of the Indian-origin Tamil community's arrival in Sri Lanka.

“I am confident Sri Lanka will keep working to fulfil aspirations of the Tamil community. This year we mark 75 years of India-Sri Lanka bilateral relations and 200 years since the Indian origin Tamil community arrived in Sri Lanka. During the joint press meet with President @RW_UNP, announced various projects worth Rs 75 crores for the Indian origin Tamils in Sri Lanka,” PM Modi tweeted on Friday.

The PM further wrote: “India will keep contributing to the development works in the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka. To boost commercial and people-to-people linkages, passenger ferry services will start between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai.”

Meanwhile, PM Modi in a joint statement with Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe on Friday said: “We hope that the Sri Lankan Government will fulfil the aspirations of Tamils and take forward the process for equality, justice and peace. We hope it will fulfil its commitment to the implementation of the 13th Amendment and Provincial Council Elections…”

On Friday, India and Sri Lanka officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in the area of renewable energy.

An MoU was signed to foster cooperation for economic development projects in the Trincomalee district of Sri Lanka.

India and Sri Lanka entered into a Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) to strengthen cooperation in the field of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The two nations also signed a Network to Network Agreement between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and Lanka Pay to facilitate UPI application acceptance in Sri Lanka.

An Energy Permit was issued for the Sampur Solar Power Project on Friday

“PM @narendramodi warmly welcomes President @RW_UNP of Sri Lanka at the Hyderabad House ahead of the bilateral talks. An opportunity to review and lend further momentum to the long-standing – ties, as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations this year,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet.

The talks were held in Hyderabad House in New Delhi.

On Friday, India and Sri Lanka took a significant step towards enhancing their economic partnership by adopting a vision document.

This document aims to strengthen various aspects of the relationship, including people-to-people connectivity, maritime cooperation, trade, and power collaboration.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement, highlighting the importance of this strategic move in bolstering the ties between the two nations.