New Delhi, December 16, 2024: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumar Dissanayake began a three-day visit to India on Sunday, holding extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen bilateral ties, focusing on defense, trade, and investment.
This visit marks Dissanayake’s first foreign trip since taking office as Sri Lanka’s President. Upon his arrival in New Delhi, he was welcomed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and met with President Draupadi Murmu.
The discussions between President Dissanayake and Prime Minister Modi, as confirmed by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, centered on enhancing trade, investment, development, and security cooperation between the two nations.
Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, expressing his enthusiasm for the visit, tweeted, “Delighted to meet President Dissanayake at the beginning of his maiden visit to India. Sri Lanka is important to our ‘Neighborhood First’ policy and ‘Sagar Outlook’.”
Dr Jaishankar stressed that the visit would strengthen trust and cooperation between the two countries.
Prior to his meeting with PM Modi, President Dissanayake held constructive discussions with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on mutual interests.