Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina wishes newly-elected Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe

Dhaka [Bangladesh], July 27 (ANI): Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina conveyed her congratulatory wishes to newly-elected Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and expressed her conviction for strengthening the ties between the two nations.
"On behalf of the Government and the people of Bangladesh and on my own behalf, I would like to congratulate you on your election in the parliament as the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka."
"I am confident that your wealth of experience, wisdom and political acumen will be instrumental in bringing about the desired peace and prosperity in Sri Lanka. I wish you all success in your endeavours," the congratulatory letter dated July 25 read.
This year, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are celebrating 50 years of solidarity and friendship, a friendship which is based on historic linkages, shared values and cultures, mutual respect and a multitude of commonalities.
PM Hasina said, "I have the conviction that relations between our two countries will be further strengthened in the coming days through multi-pronged sectoral cooperation for the mutual benefit of our two peoples."
She hoped that the relations of cooperation with the friendly people of Sri Lanka will continue. "I look forward to working with you towards that end," she added.
Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lankan President in the country's Parliament on July 21. Wickremesinghe was administered the oath of office by the chief justice of Sri Lanka, a day after he won a parliament vote.
During the vote, Wickremesinghe received 134 votes in the parliament vote following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the presidency last week amid severe economic turmoil in the country.
After winning the parliament vote by secret ballot, Wickremesinghe addressed the parliament, calling on all legislators including the opposition parliamentarians to unite and work together with him to lead Sri Lanka out of the current economic crisis.
"We are at a critical juncture. There is an economic crisis and the youth want a system change. People want all parliamentarians to come together," he said.
Out of the 225 parliamentarians, 223 voted to elect a new president and there were four invalid votes. Another two candidates, parliamentarian of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna party Dullas Alahapperuma, and National People's Power leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, got 82 votes and three votes, respectively.
Wickremesinghe is not a new name in politics and has served as the Prime Minister of the island nation six times earlier. He was one of the top contenders for the Presidential election in which members of the House voted through a secret ballot.
Earlier, Wickremesinghe was appointed as the interim president of Sri Lanka after Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled abroad after his palace was stormed by angry protesters amid the unprecedented economic crisis.
Sri Lanka's economy is bracing for a sharp contraction due to the unavailability of basic inputs for production, an 80 per cent depreciation of the currency since March 2022, coupled with a lack of foreign reserves and the country's failure to meet its international debt obligations.
Hundreds of Sri Lankans continue to queue up at petrol pumps across the debt-ridden country every day amid fuel shortage, and a large number of people are ditching their cars and motorcycles for bicycles for their daily commute. (ANI)