In First Foreign Visit After Assuming Office, Lanka Prez Dissanayake Arrives In India

New Delhi, Dec 15: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for his three-day visit to India, marking his first foreign trip since assuming office in September.

Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, in a post on X, said, “Warm and special welcome! President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka was warmly received by MoS Dr L Murugan as he arrived in New Delhi. This is President Disanayake’s first bilateral visit to India since he assumed Presidency. An opportunity to further deepen India-Sri Lanka ties and add momentum to the people-centric partnership.”

During the visit, Dissanayake will meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral issues of mutual interest.

President Dissanayake will also participate in a business event in Delhi to promote investment and commercial linkages between India and Sri Lanka. Further, he will leave for Bodh Gaya as part of the visit.

Sri Lanka is India’s closest maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and holds a central place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.

The visit of President Dissanayake to India is expected to further strengthen the multi-faceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.

The Sri Lankan President’s visit follows an invitation extended by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar during his visit to Colombo earlier this year, shortly after the National People's Power (NPP) party came to power.

During his one-day visit to Colombo on October 4, EAM Jaishankar called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and conveyed India's strong commitment to advance bilateral cooperation based on its 'Neighbourhood First' policy and SAGAR outlook.

In his meeting with President Dissanayake, the EAM spoke about ongoing initiatives in the field of energy production and transmission, fuel and LNG supply, solar electrification of religious places, connectivity, digital public infrastructure, health and dairy development. He also highlighted that they would contribute to economic sustainability and provide new streams of revenue.

The Sri Lankan President had mentioned that India's economic support is critical to realise his vision of a prosperous Sri Lanka and meeting the aspirations of the people. He referred to the potential of the export of renewable energy to India, which could help reduce production costs in Sri Lanka and create additional resources.

--IANS