Sri Lanka: PM Modi receives ceremonial welcome in Colombo at Independence Square
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, was given a ceremonial welcome on Saturday after he was received by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Independence Square. Earlier on Friday evening, PM Modi landed in the Sri Lankan capital as he was received by five top Sri Lankan ministers, including Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, and Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar received the prime minister at the Bandaranaike airport.
“Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me at the airport. Looking forward to the programmes in Sri Lanka,” Modi said on ‘X’.
PM Modi becomes the first foreign leader to be hosted by Dissanayake in his capacity as the president. PM Modi’s last visit to Sri Lanka came in 2019.
The Prime Minister is slated to hold one-on-one and delegation-level talks on Saturday, which are expected to produce at least 10 outcomes, including a defence cooperation agreement and frameworks for deeper engagement in the energy sector.
If signed, the MoU on defence cooperation is set to signal a major upward trajectory in India-Sri Lanka defence, leaving behind the bitter chapter relating to India pulling out the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from the island nation around 35 years ago.
Notably, PM Modi’s Sri Lanka comes amid the island nation showing signs of recovery following a phase of economic stress. Three years back, the country was reeling under a massive economic crisis, and India extended financial assistance worth USD 4.5 billion.
Following the talks between PM Modi and Sri Lankan President Dissanayake, two documents facilitating India’s assistance to Sri Lanka on debt restructuring and another one on currency swap are likely to be made public.
PM Modi is also scheduled to lay a wreath at the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) memorial on Saturday.
