Colombo:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Sri Lankan Parliament, as part of his visit to the country.
Here are the highlights of what he said:
- This Parliament represents one of Asia's oldest democracies and one of its most vibrant.
- I bring the greetings of 1.25 billion friends and millions of fans of Sri Lankan cricket.
- India and Sri Lanka don't have a land boundary but we are the closest neighbours in every sense.
- The strength of links between India and Sri Lanka is seen in the journey of Mahinda to this land many centuries ago.
- We have faced violence. We have faced brutal terrorism. We have also seen peaceful settlement. We have dealt with these in our own ways.
- When we accommodate the aspirations of all sections of society, the nations gets the strength of each individual.
- I am a firm believer in cooperative federalism.
- Sri Lanka has survived decades of violence and conflict. You have defeated the terrorists.
- The stands you have taken in recent times are bold and admirable. They are the sign of new times.
- The path ahead is a choice that Sri Lanka has to make.
- I can assure you that to India, the unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka are paramount.
- My vision of an ideal neighbourhood is one in which trade, investments, technology, ideas and people flow easily across borders.
- India is a natural source of investment for Sri Lanka.
- Connecting this vast region by land and sea, our two countries can together become the engines of prosperity.
- Let us also work together to harness the vast potential of the ocean economy.
- Last month, we signed an agreement for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
- India's satellite for the SAARC region should be in space soon. We hope Sri Lanka makes full use of this.
- People are at the heart of our relationship.
- Together, we will develop our Buddhist and Ramayana trails.
- Our shared responsibility in the maritime neighbourhood is clear.
- India and Sri Lanka are too close to each other to be insulated from each other.
- Our recent histories have shown that we suffer together and we are more effective when we work with each other.
- Our cooperation is critical in combating terrorism and extremism.
- We both have internal threats.
- The need for us to cooperate on security has never been stronger than it is today.
- We should expand maritime security cooperation between India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and all other partners in the region.
- The course of the 21st century is going to be shaped by the currents of the Indian Ocean.
Your leadership and our partnership will be vital in making a peaceful maritime neighbourhood. - Sri Lanka and India are at a great moment of opportunity.
- We were honoured that President Sirisena chose India as his first destination last month. I am honoured to be his first guest here.
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