Modi speaks with Sri Lankan PM

The two leaders also discussed the health and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Prime Minister spoke today to Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, to congratulate him on having completed 50 years since his first entering the Parliament of Sri Lanka," an official statement said.

Modi recalled Rajapaska's contributions to the development of Sri Lanka in his long political career and wished him all the best for his future. He also conveyed his condolences at the sudden death of Arumugan Thondaman, a prominent leader of the Indian-Origin Tamils in Sri Lanka, on Tuesday.

The prime minister recalled the role Thondaman had played in taking forward the development partnership between India and Sri Lanka.

The two leaders discussed the health and economic impact of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and the measures being taken in the two countries to counter it. Modi assured Rajapaksa that India stands ready to extend all possible support to Sri Lanka during this challenging time, the statement said.