India participated in the 23rd Council of Ministers’ (COM) meeting and the 25th Committee of Senior Officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 11 October 2023. The Indian delegation was led by External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar.
In this meeting India assumed the role of the Vice Chair of IORA for the year 2023-25, followed by the Chairship 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 COM adopted the Colombo Communique and the ‘IORA Vision 2030 and Beyond’, among other IORA related documents.
While in Colombo, EAM called on President H.E. Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President’s Secretariat. Both sides exchanged the following agreements:
i) Letter of exchange and acceptance regarding Phase-4 of flagship Indian Housing project for construction of 10,000 houses in the plantation areas.
ii) Infusion of additional funds in nine ongoing High Impact Community Development projects
4. Additionally, the following inaugurations were done virtually at a ceremony presided over by President Wickremesinghe:
i) 126 houses in Badulla, Matale and Matara districts under phase-3 of Indian Housing project
ii) 48 houses in Matale and Puttalam districts under Model Village Housing project.
iii) 64 houses in Hambantota and Jaffna districts under Gram Shakthi projects
iv) A joint logo was also launched commemorating 75 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Leaders also witnessed the signing of a Joint Venture Shareholders’ agreement between National Dairy and Development Board (NDDB), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation and the Cargills Group of Sri Lanka which will strengthen Sri Lankan dairy sector.