Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said that projects coming under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between Sri Lanka and India on April 26, 2017, will be expedited.
Minister Samarasinghe admitted that after the recent bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremeasinghe, the necessary measures have been taken to expedite these projects included in the MoU. At the discussion, Indian Prime Minister Modi expressed India’s dissatisfaction over the delay in commencing some of the projects in the MoU.
“However, most of these projects are expected to be completed by year’s end or the first quarter of next year,” Minister Samarasinghe said. “Similar to facilitating other countries to commence projects in Sri Lanka, it is our responaibility to also facilitate India to commence the intended projects,” he added.
“The respective Ministries should now present Cabinet Papers seeking Cabinet approval to embark on those projects,” Minister Samarasinghe said.