Sri Lankan President, H.E. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe on his two-day visit to India on official Invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Modi on 21 July 2024.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe met PM Modi in New Delhi, Hyderabad House on Friday and held bilateral talks and discussed issues of mutual interests in their high-level delegations meetings. Modi congratulated the President on the one-year completion of his term. E. Jaishankar and Ajit Doval were also present at the meeting.
In addition to his meeting with PM Modi, Mr. Wickremesinghe is scheduled to call on his counterpart, Indian President Droupadi Murmu on July 21, according to a press statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe too discussed various projects in Sri Lanka, including the development of the Colombo Port West container terminal (WCT).
On Thursday, 20 July, He was warmly received by Muraleedharan, External Affairs’ Minister of State on his arrival at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. In the Evening, President Wickremesinghe met the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar.
Jaishankar took to Twitter to acknowledge his call with the Srilankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
75 Years of India and Sri Lanka’s diplomatic relations.
Sri Lankan President’s visit to India, the first ever by any top Sri Lankan leader since the island nation was hit by economic crisis coincides with the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
India during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis provided around $4 billion in assistance to the island nation. Further, India gave assurances to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that they would provide financial support for Sri Lanka’s $2.9 billion bailout. The IMF approved the bailout in May 2024, which was a significant step in ensuring Sri Lanka’s financial stability. India’s support for Sri Lanka’s economic recovery has been a testament to the strong ties between the two nations, and it has further strengthened their already robust relationship.
During the Sri Lankan President’s visit to India, the meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will strengthen the longstanding friendship and neighbourly bond between the two nations, exploring avenues for enhanced connectivity and focusing on mutually beneficial cooperation across sectors, as Sri Lanka is an important partner in India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Vision SAGAR, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The President’s two-day visit to India and meetings with the top delegations of India are of special significance as it initiates the bilateral talks between the two nations on areas of economic and defence & security cooperation.
Another important issue that was most likely discussed in the talks was China’s presence in the Indian Ocean given its importance to India upon its worry over the presence of Chinese spy vessels, most notably the Yuan Wang-5, in Hambantota port in August 2022 despite Indian objections.
Outcomes of Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and PM Modi’s meeting.
“India and Sri Lanka will conduct feasibility studies on petroleum line and land bridge connectivity between the countries. Moreover, the two countries must work together to promote their ‘security interests’, emphasised by Modi.
In addition to it, India and Sri Lanka have also agreed to commence passenger ferry services between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanturai in Sri Lanka, further strengthening the bond between the two nations.
The other agreements included their agreed vision to enhance economic partnership, the UPI agreement in Sri Lanka after Singapore and France and the enhancement of air connectivity between the two nations.
This two-day visit 20 – 21 July will be a historic moment in the diplomatic ties of Sri Lanka and India as it marked the completion of 75 years of their relationship along with some important agreements for the enhancement of people-to-people ties including UPI and common passenger ferry.
