Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will be the Guest of Honour during the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi on Thursday.

“President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been invited to attend, as the Guest of Honour, the closing ceremony on 14th October of the Commonwealth Games that are at present underway in New Delhi,” a Foreign Ministry statement said in New Delhi.

Rajapaksa would therefore be shortly departing for India, it said, adding he will also have bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Foreign Minister G L Peiris will accompany Rajapaksa on his visit to Delhi.

“Minister Peiris will use his presence in Delhi to hold discussions with several senior Indian Cabinet ministers,” the statement said.

He would have meetings with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma and Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal.

Peiris is also scheduled to deliver the Foundation Day Address of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in New Delhi on Friday, the statement said.