'Utterly baseless and false': Sri Lankan President calls up PM Modi, denies 'RAW Assassination' claim

New Delhi: In a bid to repair New Delhi-Colombo relations, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Wednesday called up Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying the "malafide reports" in a section of press about him alleging an assassination attempt on his life by India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) were "utterly baseless and false". Earlier, in the day reports had claimed that Sirisena told his cabinet colleagues of a possible assassination attempt on his life by the RAW and that PM Modi was not aware about the plans. The media reports came ahead of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speed up India-backed projects, including the East Terminal project, in the island nation. Sirisena said it "seemed intended to create misunderstanding between the two leaders as well as damage the cordial relations between the two friendly neighbours". The Sri Lanka president hailed PM Modi as a "true friend of Sri Lanka" and also a "close personal friend". "The President apprised the Prime Minister of the urgent steps taken by him personally and the Government of Sri Lanka to publicly reject these reports. In this context, he also recalled his meeting with the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka today morning. "The President also stated that he regards the Prime Minister as a true friend of Sri Lanka, as also a close personal friend. He stressed that he greatly valued the mutually beneficial ties between India and Sri Lanka, and remained steadfast to work with the Prime Minister for further strengthening them," read a statement from the President's office. Source: News18