Colombo, April 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was accorded a grand ceremonial welcome at Colombo’s Independence Square on Saturday, marking what officials described as an unprecedented honor for a foreign leader in Sri Lanka.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake personally received Modi at the iconic site, setting the tone for a high-level visit focused on strengthening bilateral ties across defence, energy, and economic recovery.
“PM @narendramodi was welcomed by President @anuradisanayake with a ceremonial reception at the Independence Square in Colombo,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X. “Bilateral discussions to foster a partnership for a shared future & mutual prosperity of our people, lie ahead.”
The visit follows Modi’s stop in Bangkok for the BIMSTEC summit and comes as Sri Lanka emerges from a severe economic crisis, during which India extended $4.5 billion in financial assistance.
Modi and Dissanayake are currently holding delegation-level talks expected to yield around 10 key agreements, including a memorandum on defence cooperation and frameworks for collaboration in the energy and digital sectors. If finalized, the defence MoU would mark a significant shift in bilateral security relations, decades after the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).
Modi will also lay a wreath at the IPKF memorial during his visit.
According to Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha, India’s support to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis was “unprecedented” in scale. “We are continuing to work with Sri Lanka in providing it assistance in various areas and that is much appreciated here,” Jha told PTI.
Both leaders will also inaugurate Indian-assisted development projects and witness the virtual groundbreaking of the Sampur solar energy project, deepening India’s investment in Sri Lanka’s recovery and sustainability efforts.
