The Indian chief is the primary international dignitary to go to the island nation for the reason that leftist Dissanayake swept elections final yr.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Sri Lanka to strengthen historic defence and vitality ties as Colombo balances ties with its highly effective neighbour and largest lender, China.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake rolled out the purple carpet for Modi and welcomed him with a 19-gun salute within the capital’s Independence Sq. on Saturday.
The Indian chief is the primary international dignitary to go to the island for the reason that leftist Dissanayake swept elections final yr.
Modi was additionally conferred with Mithra Vibhushan, Sri Lanka’s highest civilian honour, by Dissanayake.
The Indian chief thanked the Sri Lankan president and mentioned the honour was “not simply mine nevertheless it belongs to the 140 crore (1.4 billion) folks of India.”
Modi and Dissanayake hearken to the nationwide anthems of their nations throughout a ceremony at Colombo’s Independence Sq., April 5, 2025 (Thilina Kaluthotage/Reuters)
“We consider that our safety pursuits are aligned,” Modi mentioned throughout a televised ceremony from Dissanayake’s workplace in Colombo. “Our safety is interdependent and interconnected.”
The 2 nations signed a five-year defence cooperation settlement for the coaching of Sri Lankan navy personnel in India in addition to data and expertise sharing.
Dissanayake applauded what he known as “India’s rise as a world energy, not only a regional energy”.
“I’ve reiterated our place to Prime Minister Modi that Sri Lankan territory won’t be allowed for use by anybody to undermine India’s safety,” he added.
India has beforehand objected to Chinese language submarines and analysis vessels which have known as on the primary seaport in Colombo. Sri Lanka has not allowed Chinese language submarines to dock since 2014, after India raised issues over two such visits.
Final yr, Colombo imposed a ban on international analysis vessels following New Delhi’s accusations that Chinese language ships had been getting used to spy on India.
However the go to’s spotlight was the launch of a 120-megawatt solar energy plant in Sampur within the island’s northeastern Trincomalee district. The plant had been stalled for years however was reinvigorated with New Delhi’s backing as a joint challenge.
Reporting from Colombo, Al Jazeera’s Minelle Fernandez mentioned Dissanayake was additionally anticipated to debate the problem of fishermen from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu allegedly encroaching into Sri Lankan territorial waters.
“Tons of of Indian trawlers are carrying away fish utilizing a mechanised system known as backside trawling, which can be destroying the setting,” she mentioned.
Balancing act
Modi’s go to got here as Colombo grapples with the competing pursuits of New Delhi and Beijing.
India has been involved about China’s rising sway in Sri Lanka, which it considers to be inside its sphere of geopolitical affect.
Dissanayake’s first international go to as president was to New Delhi in December, however he adopted that with a go to to Beijing in January, underscoring Sri Lanka’s delicate balancing act.
China has emerged as Sri Lanka’s largest single bilateral creditor, accounting for greater than half of its $14bn bilateral debt on the time the island defaulted on its sovereign debt in 2022.
Beijing was the primary to restructure its loans to Sri Lanka, a transfer that cleared the best way for the island to emerge from that yr’s worst-ever financial meltdown.
Colombo additionally signed an settlement in January with a Chinese language state-owned firm that can make investments $3.7bn in an oil refinery within the island’s south. It will be Sri Lanka’s largest single international funding and is seen as essential for the island’s economic system.
Modi arrived in Sri Lanka late on Friday from a summit in Thailand and a string of conferences with leaders of regional nations as he sought to shore up India’s relations with neighbours.
On the sidelines of the Bangkok BIMSTEC assembly – the grouping of the seven nations on the Bay of Bengal – Modi held a uncommon face-to-face assembly with Myanmar’s navy authorities chief Min Aung Hlaing.
Modi additionally held talks with Muhammad Yunus, the interim chief of neighbouring Bangladesh – the primary such assembly since a revolution in Dhaka eliminated New Delhi’s long-term ally Sheikh Hasina.
India was the largest benefactor of Hasina’s authorities and her overthrow despatched cross-border relations right into a tailspin, culminating in Yunus selecting to make his first state go to final month to China.
Modi additionally met on Friday in Bangkok together with his Nepali counterpart KP Sharma Oli, the primary since Kathmandu’s chief returned to energy final yr, in addition to Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan.
