Former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa and his younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday held discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on a range of issues of mutual interest and thanked the Indian government for its steadfast commitment to assisting Colombo during its troubled times. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, 73, fled Sri Lanka to the Maldives on a Sri Lanka Airforce plane in July last year, as the country plunged into its worst economic and humanitarian crisis since its independence from Great Britain in 1948.
“Called on former President @PresRajapaksa today. Discussed the current challenges faced by Sri Lanka and India’s strong support in this hour of need,” Jaishankar said in a tweet.
In September last year, he was given special security and a state bungalow upon his return here from Thailand.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, an ex-military officer, was appointed Sri Lanka president in November 2019.
Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to resign as Sri Lanka’s prime minister in May last year following street protests in the country against the government led by Gotabaya Rajapaksa for mishandling the unprecedented economic crisis.
