PM Modi thanks Sri Lanka for honouring him with 'Mitra Vibhushana', says 'honour symbolises deep-rooted friendship and historical ties'

In a post on X, PM Modi stated, "It is a matter of immense pride for me to be conferred the 'Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana' by President Dissanayake today. This honour is not mine alone - it is a tribute to the 1.4 billion people of India. It symbolises the deep-rooted friendship and historic ties between the people of India and Sri Lanka. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the President, the Government and the people of Sri Lanka for this honour."

https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1908427629713142066

Sri Lanka President Dissanayake honoured PM Modi with the highest award to a foreign head of state, Mitra Vibhushana. Dissanayake said that PM Modi highly deserves this honour.

In a joint press statement alongside PM Modi, Dissanayake said, "I am pleased to announce that the Government of Sri Lanka has decided to confer upon him (PM Narendra Modi) the highest Sri Lankan honour to a foreign head of state/head of government- Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana. This prestigious honour, which was introduced in 2008, is conferred upon heads of states and government for their friendship, and honourable Prime Minister Modi highly deserves this honour, that is what we firmly believe."

PM Modi and Dissanayake jointly e-inaugurated the High Impact Community Development Project in the agriculture sector. The two leaders also participated in the virtual ground-breaking ceremony for the launch of the 120 MW Sampur Solar Project.

In a post on X, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, "PM @narendramodi & President @anuradisanayake jointly e-inaugurated High Impact Community Development Project in the field of agriculture i.e. a first-of-its-kind 5000 MT temperature controlled warehouse in Dambulla & supply of 5000 solar rooftop units to religious places that span across all 25 districts of Sri Lanka. They also participated in the virtual ground-breaking ceremony for the launch of the the 120 MW Sampur Solar Project."

https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1908428478543982708

During the joint statement with the Sri Lankan President, PM Modi said that Sri Lanka holds a special place in India's Neighbourhood First policy and Vision 'Mahasagar. He announced that India has decided to lower the interest rates.

PM Modi said, "Sri Lanka has a special place in both our Neighbourhood First policy and Vision 'Mahasagar'...India has adopted the vision of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' and places great importance on the priorities of its partner nations. In the past six months alone, we have converted loans worth over 100 million dollars into grants. Our debt restructuring agreement will provide immediate help and relief to the people of Sri Lanka, and we have also decided to lower the interest rates. This reflects that even today, India stands strong with Sri Lanka."

PM Modi said that he and Dissanayake discussed issues related to the livelihood of fishermen and agreed that a humanitarian approach should be taken on this matter.

He said, "We also discussed issues related to livelihood of fishermen. We agreed that we should proceed with a humanitarian approach in this matter. We also stressed on immediate release of fishermen and return of their boats. India and Sri Lanka's relationship is based on mutual trust and goodwill."

He noted that the security interests of India and Sri Lanka are aligned. He said that the security of the two nations is "inderdependent and interconnected."

He said, "For the Indian-origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka, the construction of 10,000 houses will soon be completed. Additionally, 700 Sri Lankan employees will be trained in India, including MPs, people linked to the judiciary, entrepreneurs, media personnel and young leaders. We believe that our security interests are aligned. Our security is interdependent and interconnected."

Earlier in the day, PM Modi and Dissanayake held a bilateral meeting and delegation-level talks in Colombo. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and other officials attended the meeting.

PM Modi was accorded a historic ceremonial welcome at Independence Square in Colombo. It is the first time that Sri Lanka has honoured a visiting leader in this manner.PM Modi is on a State visit to Sri Lanka from April 4 to 6 at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Disanayaka.

His arrival in Colombo on Friday marked his first visit to Sri Lanka since 2019. Prime Minister Modi reached Colombo after concluding his visit to Thailand, where he attended the BIMSTEC Summit and held bilateral talks with several world leaders, including Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli and Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.