Colombo: External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha arrived in Colombo on July 11 afternoon on a two-day official visit to discuss bilateral and economic issues and get an update on the ongoing peace process in Sri Lanka, officials said.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Tyronne Fernando received him at the Bandaranaike airport on his arrival from Maldives.

Sinha, whose two-nation trip to the Maldives and Sri Lanka is the first official overseas visit after taking over the External Affairs Ministry, is due to meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe tonight and President Chandrika Kumaratunga on July 12.

"This visit follows your Prime Minister's recent visit to India," Sinha told reporters at the Colombo airport.

The Minister's visit comes a month after the trip to New Delhi by the Sri Lankan Premier and is part of the ongoing process of close interaction that the two governments wish to maintain.

"Sinha's visit should be seen in the context of India's support to the government's peace efforts," Enterprise Development and Constitutional Affairs Minister G L Peiris, who speaks on behalf of the Cabinet, said.

"Friendship with neighbouring countries has been the bulwark of Sri Lanka's foreign policy, and India, which supports our peace efforts, has been a source of great inspiration," Peiris said.

PTI