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State Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Tharaka Balasuriya called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "charming" and a "very visionary man", and said that he agrees with PM Modi's assessment that if there's more connectivity between not just Sri Lanka and India, but also Myanmar and Thailand, there will be more opportunities. 
Tharaka Balasuriya arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to attend the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Minister's Retreat. 
He emphasised that the BIMSTEC Foreign Minister's Retreat was very well organized. "Since it was a very informal setting, we were able to share our ideas candidly and openly," he told ANI. 
Talking about his experience of meeting with PM Modi, Balasuriya said, "I think this is the first time I met the Prime Minister, and he's a completely charming man. And he's also a very visionary man. One thing that struck me was when he stated that what he feels is that whereas the European Union succeeded in, let's say, South Asia and Southeast Asia, where we lag behind is mainly because of connectivity. So in that regard, we need to concentrate on connectivity."