Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (C) shakes hands with Indian President Pranab Mukher

Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (C) shakes hands with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee as Wickremesinghe’s wife Maitree (R) looks on before their meeting at India’s presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, India, yesterday. Sri Lanka hopes to hammer out an economic partnership deal with India this year, its prime minister said on Tuesday, seeking to strengthen the Indian Ocean island’s ties with its big neighbour and reduce its dependency on Chinese investment. (REUTERS)