Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday left Thailand for Colombo on a visit focusing on defence ties and deepening cooperation in energy, trade and connectivity with Sri Lanka.
Modi emplaned for Sri Lanka after attending a summit of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) grouping in Bangkok.
The prime minister will be the first foreign leader to be hosted by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka after he took charge last September.
Modi last travelled to Sri Lanka in 2019. It will be his fourth visit to the island nation since 2015.
India is looking at further shoring up its cooperation with Sri Lanka in the areas of energy, connectivity, digitalisation, trade and defence, Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha said as PM Modi begins his visit to the island nation from today.
In an interview, Jha, without elaborating, said engagement in the energy sector has been one of the “strongest pillars” of the India-Sri Lanka partnership, adding a couple of agreements are likely to be firmed up to broadly ensure supply of cheaper energy to the island nation.
On Saturday, Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The talks are expected to see both the countries expand their overall ties in a range of key areas.
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An arrangement to develop the Trincomalee oil firms jointly by India, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates is being finalised and it is likely to be among seven agreements that could be signed following the talks between the two leaders.
There are many elements of energy cooperation that will unfold during this visit, Jha said, declining to provide details.
The prime minister is visiting Sri Lanka from April 4 to 6.
The two sides are also likely to ink a defence cooperation pact for the first time that is aimed at institutionalising the ongoing engagements in terms of joint exercises, training and supply of military hardware.
Asked about the proposed defence pact, Jha was reluctant to talk about it.
“What I will tell you is that we have been cooperating with Sri Lanka in a number of areas in defence which have been going on for several years and the idea of the MoU is to bring this under an umbrella framework and to do it in a structured way,” he said.
The Indian high commissioner said India-Sri Lanka maritime security cooperation is a prominent element in the overall defence engagement between the two sides.
“I think maritime security is an important element and it is well recognised that we are in the same region and our security is intertwined and interlinked. That is something based on which we continue to work,” he said.
Jha also referred to the Sri Lankan president's visit to India in December last year and said, Modi's visit will take forward the overall development agenda.
“It is in that sense a very, very important visit. We had a very good outcome in December 2024. We are taking forward the elements of that understanding and adding a new agenda to the relationship,” he said.
“India and Sri Lanka are closest of neighbours, maritime neighbours in particular, and have a very wide-ranging relationship. It is very important for us to cooperate given our history, geography, our cultural ties, and people to people ties,” he said.
“There is an understanding between the two countries that we have a shared future ahead of us,” Jha added.
The prime minister's visit to Sri Lanka comes at a time the island nation is showing signs of recovery from the economic stress. The country was reeling under a massive economic crisis three years back and India had extended financial assistance worth USD 4.5 billion.
After the talks between Modi and 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.
Jha said New Delhi's assistance to the island nation was “unprecedented” in terms of India's assistance to any country in the world.
“It was a huge bit of assistance and we are continuing to work with Sri Lanka in providing it assistance in various areas and that is much appreciated here,” Jha said.
“India was the first to provide financial assurances for the IMF to take a decision to provide Sri Lanka with the extended fund facility that is currently under operation in Sri Lanka,” he said.
This is in many senses going to be a milestone in the bilateral partnership, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said last week.
Modi is also scheduled to meet several political leaders.
On April 6, Modi and Dissanayake will travel together to the historic city of Anuradhapura, where they will pay their respects at the Mahabodhi temple.
They will also jointly inaugurate two India-assisted projects there.
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