Sri Lanka Economic Crisis highlights: New PM Ranil Wickremesinghe says look forward to closer ties with India

Vehicles of Sri Lanka’s ruling party supporters are seen in a lake after being pushed into the water during a clash of pro and anti-government demonstrators near the Prime Miner’s official residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 10, 2022. (Reuters)
The 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was appointed as the prime miner President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after they held closed-door discussions on Wednesday.
Wickremesinghe, who has served as the country’s prime miner four times, was in October 2018 fired from the post of prime miner then-President Maithripala Sirisena. However, he was reinstalled as the prime miner Sirisena after two months.
“India’s commitment to the people of Sri Lanka will continue,” the High Commission said in a tweet.
“High Commission of India hopes for political stability and looks forward to working with the Government of Sri Lanka formed in accordance with democratic processes pursuant to the swearing-in of Hon’ble @RW_UNP as the Prime Miner of SriLanka,” it said.
In its first reaction to the situation in Sri Lanka after Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as Prime Miner, India on Tuesday said that it was “fully supportive” of the island nation’s democracy, stability and economic recovery. — PTI