Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat, in Colombo on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
India and Sri Lanka on Saturday inked seven MoUs — including on defence cooperation — during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nation, even as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensuring Sri Lankan territory is not used to undermine India’s security or regional stability.
“We believe that we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is interconnected and co-dependent. I am grateful to President Dissanayake for his [President Dissanayake’s] sensitivity towards India’s interests,” Mr. Modi said in his address following the signing of the MoUs at the Presidential Secretariat.
The MoUs signed included energy sector cooperation — energy grid connection and developing Trincomalee as an energy hub in partnership with the United Arab Emirates — digitisation efforts, health, and multi-sectoral assistance to the Eastern Province, taking off on discussions held during President Dissanayake’s visit to New Delhi in December 2024.
Umbrella pact
Briefing the media later, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri described the defence sector MoU as an “umbrella agreement” that provided a framework to pursue ongoing defence sector cooperation in a more “structured” manner.
During the ceremony, the leaders virtually launched a cold storage plant in the central Dambulla district, and a solar power plant in the eastern Trincomalee district.
Further, India has decided to reduce interest rates on loans extended to Sri Lanka to support the country’s external debt treatment, Mr. Modi said, adding that loans totalling over $ 100 million were converted to grants.
“We have witnessed India’s remarkable rise and success. We sincerely applaud the way India has positioned itself not only as a regional power, but also as a global leader,” President Dissanayake said. He later thanked India for its “unwavering commitment and support” to Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and through its debt restructuring process. Mr. Dissanayake also conferred the ‘Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana’ title on Mr. Modi and said it was “a symbol of the enduring friendship and unwavering, multifaceted support that he has consistently extended to Sri Lanka and its people.” Sri Lanka, like India, “firmly believes” in the potential of South Asia to rise and shine on the world stage and the two countries must strive to achieve the goal together, the leftist Sri Lankan leader observed.
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Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi received the guard of honour at Colombo’s Independence Square and a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Secretariat, where he held bilateral discussions with President Dissanayake. Delegation level talks were also led by the two leaders. The Indian delegation included External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Mr. Misri.
PM Modi will travel to Anuradhapura in the Norther Central Province on Sunday, and proceed to Rameswaram following his engagements there.
Meera Srinivasan is The Hindu Correspondent in Colombo
Published on April 5, 2025
