The Foreign Ministers of India and Sri Lanka on Friday expressed the hope that the next meeting of the Joint Commission is held at the earliest.

This emerged at the meeting that External Affairs Minister Salman Khursheed had with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris here on Friday on the sidelines of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC).

Trade and investment issues came up during the meeting. The two Ministers also discussed the status of Indian projects in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan projects here. The two Ministers also called for an early meeting of the fishermen associations of India and Sri Lanka. India also requested that Indian fishermen caught in Sri Lankan waters are treated  humanely.

At the meeting Professor Peiris said India was an important partner of Sri Lanka and played an indispensable role in that country.

ashwini.phadnis@thehindu.co.in

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