NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka’s newly elected president, Anura Dissanayake, will be present India from December 15 to 17 for key discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top Indian officials. The visit will focus on strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations.
The announcement was made by Sri Lanka's Media Minister and Cabinet Spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa on Tuesday in Colombo. India extended the invitation to Dissanayake through External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who had visited Colombo shortly after the president’s election victory. Jaishankar was the first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka after the rise of Dissanayake's National People's Power (NPP) government on September 23.
The visit had been postponed following Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections in November, where the NPP secured a historic victory, gaining full control of the 225-member parliament. This will be Dissanayake's first foreign trip since he took office in September. His visit to India follows the NPP’s overwhelming success in the parliamentary polls.
During his visit, Dissanayake will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, who also handles the tourism portfolio, and Deputy Minister of Finance Harshana Sooriyapperuma. The president will engage in talks with Modi and other key officials in New Delhi.
Further details about the visit, including potential agreements between India and Sri Lanka, will be revealed later by the Sri Lankan foreign ministry.
This marks Dissanayake's second trip to India, following a February visit where he, alongside Herath, joined a delegation from the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna (JVP). The JVP is part of the center-left NPP now in power in Sri Lanka. After his India visit, Dissanayake is expected to travel to China.
Sri Lanka Records Historic Deflation Amid Economic Recovery Efforts