Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe sending his congratulations and felicitations to newly elected President of India, Ram Nath Kovind expressed his desire to further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
“India and Sri Lanka enjoy longstanding and warm bilateral relations based on cultural and religious ties dating back to time immemorial. I am confident that under your presidency, this relationship will be further strengthened. Your visionary leadership will definitely be a guiding light for India in its march towards development and prosperity”, wrote Prime Minister Wickremesinghe.
He added that he looked “forward to working closely with you on matters of mutual interest between our two countries”.
President Kovind was officially sworn in as President yesterday, becoming the second leader from the Dalit community to elected as Head of State.
A former lawyer and state governor, Kovind was elected to the largely ceremonial post from the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with more than 65 percent of the vote by members of India’s Parliament and state assemblies.