India looks forward to working with the new Sri Lankan government formed following the democratic processes. New Delhi's commitment to the island nation's people will continue, the Indian High Commission said on Thursday after Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the new Prime Minister.
The 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) was appointed as the prime minister by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after they held closed-door discussions on Wednesday. Wickremesinghe, who has served as the country’s prime minister four times, was in October 2018 fired from the post of prime minister by then-President Maithripala Sirisena. However, he was reinstalled as the prime minister by 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 following democratic processes according to the swearing-in of Hon'ble @RW_UNP as the Prime Minister of #SriLanka," it said.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948. The situation is partly caused by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.