ROYAL TRAVELS NEWS.

Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar on Friday said that people-to-people discussions and visa on arrival facility for Sri Lankans were among the prominent matters discussed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Colombo.
"There was a lot of discussion on people-to-people discussions. The Prime Minister announced visa on arrival facility for Sri Lankans. We signed two agreements on youth affairs and an auditorium for the Ruhuna University. We hope that direct flights from Air India start," Jaishankar said at a press briefing here.

There was some discussion about resumption of ferries. There's a ferry service from Colombo to Tuticorin, which was suspended essentially on viability issues. And then there is a historical one between Tailamanar and Raneswaram which has some physical challenges which need to be addressed," he added.

The Foreign Secretary said Prime Minister Modi spoke about the huge interest in India on the Ramyana trail and our commitment to have a festival of India and Sri Lanka.

"We signed a customs agreement which would facilitate business cooperation but in addition PM referred to our interest in developing a pharmaceutical SEZ," he added.Jaishankar said talks also included the India-Sri Lanka-Maldives triangle and there was interest in both sides on how to do more on the triangle.