PM Modi lands in Sri Lanka’s Colombo for 3-day visit; defence, trade deals likely

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday (April 4) landed in Sri Lanka’s Colombo for a three-day visit, following his participation in the Bimstec summit in Thailand.

It is PM Modi’s first visit to Sri Lanka since 2019, and after the leftist National People’s Power alliance came to power under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake last year.

The Indian PM was received by five top ministers of the Dissanayake government despite rain, reflecting the significance the Sri Lankan government attaches to this visit by Modi.

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In a special welcome, despite the rain, 6 top ministers of Sri Lanka received him at the airport.

Sri Lankan Ministers Vijitha Herath, Nalinda Jayatissa, Anil Jayantha, Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Saroja Savithri… pic.twitter.com/DggQ6i9xRo

— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2025

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PM Modi took to X to express his gratitude towards the ministers who came to receive him and said he was looking forward to the programmes in Sri Lanka.

“Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me at the airport. Looking forward to the programmes in Sri Lanka,” PM Modi wrote.

Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me at the airport. Looking forward to the programmes in Sri Lanka. pic.twitter.com/RYm5q1VhZk

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 4, 2025

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Earlier, President Dissanayake visited New Delhi in December in his first official foreign visit.

Ahead of the visit, both PM Modi and President Dissanayake posted on X that they looked forward to strengthening the bilateral partnership and exploring new areas of cooperation.

During the visit, India is set to sign eight memoranda of understanding (MoUs) aimed at strengthening cooperation across key sectors. Indian officials confirmed that these agreements will focus on digitalisation, healthcare, defence, and energy—potentially providing the island nation with more affordable energy options.

Prime Minister Modi is joined by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.

(With inputs from agencies)