India attended the 23rd Council of Ministers (COM) meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) in Colombo, Sri Lanka, chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. In this meeting, India assumed the role of IORA Vice Chair for the years 2023-25, followed by the Chairmanship in 2025-27.
“Prior to this meeting, the IORA Senior Officials reviewed the entire range of IORA’s ongoing and future work and activities for 2022-27,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in an official statement. The Colombo Communique and the ‘IORA Vision 2030 and Beyond’, among other IORA-related documents, were adopted by the COM. EAM Jaishankar also met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the President’s Secretariat during his visit to Colombo.
“Both sides exchanged the following agreements,” according to the statement.
The agreements included a letter of exchange and approval for Phase 4 of the flagship Indian Housing Project, which would see the construction of 10,000 dwellings in plantation regions, as well as an increase in funding for nine current High Impact Community Development projects.
In addition, virtual inaugurations were held at a ceremony presided over by President Wickremesinghe. It featured 126 houses in the Badulla, Matale, and Matara districts as part of phase 3 of the Indian Housing project; 48 houses in the Matale and Puttalam districts as part of the Model Village Housing project; and 64 houses in the Hambantota and Jaffna districts as part of the Gram Shakthi projects.
“A joint logo was also launched commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries,” according to the announcement. Both leaders were also present when the National Dairy and Development Board (NDDB), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, and the Cargills Group of Sri Lanka signed a Joint Venture Shareholders’ agreement. Furthermore, the cooperation will “strengthen the Sri Lankan dairy sector,” according to the announcement.
On Tuesday, EAM S Jaishankar arrived in Colombo for a three-day visit. This is the foreign minister’s second trip to Sri Lanka this year. Jaishankar will have bilateral discussions in Sri Lanka during his visit. S Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister (EAM), stated that India’s commitment to the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is strongly anchored in the ideals of peaceful coexistence, shared prosperity, and regional partnership.
The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is an intergovernmental organization whose 23 Member States and 11 Dialogue Partners work to improve regional cooperation and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region.
