Sri Lanka to return Indian fishing boats

Sri Lanka's president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said boats of Indian fishermen seized in his country would be returned. 

Rajapaksa is on a visit to India, his first foreign tour, after being elected president earlier this month. 

After talks with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, Rajapaksa spoke of taking his country's ties with India to a new level. 

Reports say the fate of the fishermen from Tamil Nadu and other parts of India being held in Sri Lankan jails were also discussed. 

Many of these fishermen were seized by the Sri Lankan navy after they accidentally strayed into Sri Lankan waters. The alleged maritime border violations by fishermen is a long running dispute between the two sides.