PM Modi's Sri Lanka visit very important, will add new agenda to relationship: Envoy Santosh Jha

ANI April 3, 2025 223 views

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Sri Lanka marks a significant milestone in bilateral relations. The trip represents the first high-level engagement with Sri Lanka's new government, following President Dissanayake's earlier visit to India. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha highlighted the visit's importance, emphasizing potential agreements in connectivity, energy, and digital sectors. The diplomatic engagement aims to strengthen strategic partnerships and explore collaborative opportunities across multiple domains.

"Our relationship today is on an upswing" - Santosh Jha, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
By Sahil Pandey, Colombo, April 3: Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, on Thursday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the island nation significant, stating that it would add a new agenda to the bilateral relationship.

Key Points

1

Modi first foreign guest under new Sri Lankan government

2

Three partnership pillars identified as connectivity, energy, digitisation

3

Official engagements planned in Colombo and Anuradhapuram

Speaking about the visit, Jha told ANI, "It is a very important visit. Our relationship today is on an upswing, and Prime Minister Modi will be coming as the first foreign guest under the new government. You would recall that last year, in December, President Dissanayake visited India as his first foreign destination. So, this is a very, very important visit. We are essentially looking at taking forward existing understandings and adding a new agenda to the relationship."

Discussing bilateral ties and expected outcomes, the Indian envoy said, "We are looking at a very wide-ranging agenda. When President Dissanayake visited Delhi, the Prime Minister highlighted three pillars of our partnership: connectivity, energy, and digitisation. We will have agreements in these areas. There will also be some agreements in the health sector, and we are working on a framework MoU in defence cooperation."

He further noted that relations between the two nations have never been stronger. "They are in very good shape," he added.

Jha briefed about PM Modi's visit schedule and said the Prime Minister will be here from April 4-6. He will have official engagements on 5th April in Colombo and will visit Anuradhapuram on April 6.

Comments:

RK

Rahul K.

2 hours ago

This is great to see! Stronger India-Sri Lanka relations will benefit both countries, especially in trade and regional stability. Looking forward to seeing the new agreements signed. 🇮🇳🤝🇱🇰

PM

Priya M.

1 hour ago

While I appreciate the diplomatic efforts, I hope this visit also addresses the concerns of Tamil fishermen who face regular harassment. Strong relationships should benefit all citizens.

AS

Anil S.

45 mins ago

Connectivity, energy and digitization - perfect pillars for modern cooperation! The defense MoU is particularly interesting. Wonder if this includes naval cooperation given our shared maritime interests.

NJ

Neha J.

30 mins ago

First foreign guest under the new government - that's a powerful symbolic gesture! Hope this visit leads to more cultural exchanges too. Would love to see more Sri Lankan students coming to India for education.

DP

Deepak P.

15 mins ago

The health sector collaboration mentioned could be a game-changer! After seeing how India helped during COVID with vaccines, more cooperation here could really improve healthcare access in Sri Lanka. 👏

Tags:
Modi Sri Lanka Visit Santosh Jha India-Sri Lanka Relations Diplomatic Engagement President Dissanayake
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