Debt-stricken Sri Lanka marked its 77th independence anniversary on Tuesday with a military parade, while the country’s newly elected president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, pledged to heal Sri Lanka's economic woes by the end of his five-year term.

It marked the Council’s first celebration of the South Asian island nation’s Independence Day, and was led by Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens), Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore), Councilwoman Rita Joseph (D-Brooklyn), Councilman Shekar Krishnan (D-Queens), and Councilwoman Lynn Schulman (D-Queens).

Addressing the 77th Independence Day celebrations of the island nation, Dissanayake said, ‘Collectively, we must persist in our struggle for freedom on behalf of this motherland’

As Sri Lanka marks its 77th Independence Day, world leaders and foreign nations have extended their congratulations, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening diplomatic ties and cooperation with the island nation.

Sri Lankan military personnel took part in a parade on Tuesday to mark the country's 77th Independence Day. Sri Lanka commemorated the 77th anniversary of its independence from British colonial rule on Feb 4.

Colombo: President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Tuesday said that Sri Lanka must work in unison to achieve economic freedom rather than yield to vulnerabilities within the global economic system.Addressing the 77th Independence Day celebrations of the island nation,