Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister GL Peiris has told media that the Indian Prime Minister’s no-show at the Commonwealth summit was not a set-back for the event.
"It will not affect the success of CHOGM. The Indian Prime Minister was invited. Sri Lankans would have been happier if he came," he said.
Peiris added that Sri Lanka understood the ‘domestic political compulsions’ behind the decision.
Meanwhile, the Indian High Commission in Colombo has confirmed that it hand-delivered a letter from Prime Minister Singh to President Rajapaksa, explaining his absence from the summit.