After participating in the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand, PM Narendra Modi met Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, where he was accorded with ceremonial welcome. This marks the first visit by a foreign leader to the island nation after it saw a dramatic political shift last year, with National People’s Power (NPP) alliance in power.
According to PTI, they are likely to sign a separate pact on cooperation in the digital domain. PM Modi will lay a wreath at the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) memorial later in the day. The two documents paving the way for India’s assistance to Sri Lanka on debt restructuring and another one on currency swap are expected to be made public.
Sri Lanka ministers welcome PM Modi
Irrespective of rains, Modi was warmly received at the airport by six senior ministers, namely Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Labour Minister Anil Jayantha, Science and Technology Minister Chrishantha Abeysena and Women and Child Affairs Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj.
“Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me at the airport. Looking forward to the programs in Sri Lanka,” PM Modi said on X.