By Sahil PandeyColombo [Sri Lanka], September 9 (ANI): Sri Lankan Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment Anil Jayantha Fernando on Wednesday described Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Sri Lanka as a “great honour and privilege”, saying the visit reflects the deep-rooted relationship between the two countries, built on trust, understanding and shared heritage.Speaking to ANI following his remarks at a deck reception onboard INS Udaygiri in Colombo, Fernando said the visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Sri Lanka after two decades was significant and underlined the strength of the longstanding bilateral relationship.“I just came to know that this is the visit by a Defence Minister of India after two decades. So it’s a great honour and privilege for us, and it signifies the relationship that Sri Lanka and India have been maintaining over many decades,” Fernando said.“It’s not merely a relationship; it goes beyond the basic relationship built on trust and other things, because we are maintaining the same heritage in socio-cultural, political and in many arenas,” he added.Highlighting India and Sri Lanka’s close neighbour relationship, the Sri Lankan Minister said India’s support and friendship would be crucial as Colombo works towards transforming the country and achieving sustainable development.“Sri Lanka has a special mandate to transform the entire country for a better society. In pursuit of achieving these targets, India’s support, the relationship and friendship really going to do a great deal of job. So we hope to work on this particular relationship and friendship,” he said.Fernando said Sri Lanka also sees considerable potential to expand economic cooperation with India, particularly in strategic areas including logistics, energy, tourism and value-added industries.He said greater trade and investment with India would be important for achieving medium- and long-term sustainable and inclusive growth.“To have medium-term and long-term sustainable and inclusive growth, what matters is trade and investment. It is much, in a way, easier and more comfortable for us to broaden the space for trade and investment with India. Already, we are working on that,” he said.The Sri Lankan Minister also highlighted India’s support to the island nation during times of crisis, saying New Delhi’s assistance demonstrated the strength of the partnership between the two countries.“India’s support is very significant, especially in time of need,” Fernando said, referring to India’s assistance to Sri Lanka during its economic and energy-related difficulties.He said such support underscored how India and Sri Lanka could work together to achieve “shared prosperity”.Rajnath Singh’s visit comes as India and Sri Lanka seek to further strengthen their longstanding partnership, with defence and strategic cooperation forming an important pillar of bilateral ties.The three-day visit is also expected to provide fresh momentum to the multifaceted India-Sri Lanka relationship and deepen cooperation across defence, economic, energy and other key sectors. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)