Modi Arrives in Colombo for Strategic Sri Lanka Talks

Colombo April 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Colombo on Friday for a two-day visit during which he will meet Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and review progress made on the joint vision of "Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future"

Key Points

Modi received by six top Sri Lankan ministers at Colombo airport

Visiting Anuradhapura to inaugurate India-funded development projects

Last visited Sri Lanka in 2019

Continues regional diplomatic outreach after BIMSTEC Summit

PM Modi reached Sri Lanka after his visit to Thailand during which he held bilateral meeting with his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra and attended the BIMSTEC Summit. He also held bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

In a special welcome, despite the rain, six top ministers of Sri Lanka received PM Modi at the airport.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath; Minister of Health and Mass Media and Chief Government Whip Nalinda Jayatissa; Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development Anil Jayantha; Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Ramalingam Chandrasekar and Minister of Women and Child AffairsSaroja Savithri Paulraj and Minister of Science and Technology Chrishantha Abeysena received PM Modi at the airport.

"Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me at the airport. Looking forward to the programmes in Sri Lanka," PM Modi said in a post on X.

During the visit, PM Modi will travel to Anuradhapura to inaugurate development projects implemented with India's financial assistance. PM Modi had last visited Sri Lanka was in 2019.

Members of the Indian diaspora welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi. People carrying flags of India expressed excitement over PM Modi's visit to Sri Lanka.

"We are very excited. India has been shining like never before. The way he has put India on the global map today, we are shining as a superpower," Priyanka, a member of the Indian diaspora, said.

On the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit, PM Modi held a meeting with several leaders, including Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

Reader Comments

Priya K.

Such a warm welcome despite the rain! Shows the strong bond between our countries 🇮🇳🤝🇱🇰 Looking forward to seeing what comes out of these meetings.

Rahul S.

While I appreciate the diplomatic efforts, I hope these visits translate to concrete benefits for common people in both countries. The last few agreements haven't shown much progress on the ground.

Sanjay M.

The BIMSTEC meetings + Sri Lanka visit in one trip - PM's schedule is packed! Shows how efficiently our foreign policy is being handled these days.

Anjali P.

So proud to see our diaspora welcoming PM Modi abroad! The Indian community in Sri Lanka must be thrilled 😊

Kavita R.

Interesting to see such high-level ministers receiving him at the airport. The projects in Anuradhapura sound promising - hope they help local communities.

Dinesh T.

The last visit was in 2019? Time really flies! Good to see India strengthening ties with our neighbors. More cooperation = better stability in the region.

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Tags:

Modi Sri Lanka Visit Diplomatic Relations BIMSTEC Narendra Modi India Foreign Policy Colombo Talks