PM Modi sends congratulatory letter to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on his election

Colombo, July 26: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Sri Lanka's newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe and said that India will continue to be supportive of the quest of the people of the island nation for stability and economic recovery, through established democratic means, the Indian High Commission said on Tuesday.

Wickremesinghe, 73, was on Thursday sworn in as Sri Lanka's eighth president after he was elected by lawmakers to succeed Gotabaya Rajapaksa who fled the country and resigned in the face of public revolt against his government for mismanaging the economy.

"PM @narendramodi sent a congratulatory letter to H.E President @RW_UNP on his election," the High Commission of India in Colombo said in a tweet.

"PM reiterated that India will continue to be supportive of the quest of the people of Sri Lanka for stability and economic recovery, through established democratic means, institutions and constitutional framework," it said.

The Prime Minister also conveyed that he looked forward to working closely with the Sri Lankan President for the mutual benefit of people and strengthening the age-old, close and friendly relations between India and Sri Lanka, it added.

Wickremesinghe, who is believed to be close to India and its leaders, was appointed as prime minister in May. He was sworn-in as acting president on July 13 after President Rajapaksa fled the country amidst unprecedented anti-government protests.

On July 22, Wickremesinghe appointed veteran politician Dinesh Gunawardena as the prime minister. Wickremesinghe has a mandate to serve out the rest of Rajapaksa's term, which ends in November 2024.

Meanwhile, in Colombo, Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay on Tuesday paid a courtesy call on newly-appointed Prime Minister Gunawardena and conveyed greetings from the leadership, Government and people of India.