Anura Kumara Dissanayake is visiting India for the second time in merely 10 months, however, this time he has arrived on a 3-day State visit in the capacity of President of Sri Lanka.
The last time Dissanayake visited New Delhi was when he headed a National People’s Power (NPP) delegation and that time there was a lot of chatter of a quick change in the political landscape of Sri Lanka and him becoming the next president of India’s neighbouring nation.
Dissanayake, who defeated the traditional political parties governed by the political elite, assumed office in September and now the 55-year-old Marxist leader chose India as the destination of his first overseas trip after coming to power.
The Sri Lankan President is accompanied by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Deputy Finance Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando.
Upon his arrival on Sunday evening, Dissanayake was received by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan at the Delhi airport.
On Monday (December 16), Dissanayake will be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After the meeting of the two leaders, India and Sri Lanka are expected to sign four pacts, including one on cybersecurity.
Dissanayake’s discussions with PM Modi will concentrate on key areas including trade, investment, energy, and maritime security.
The talks between PM Modi and Dissanayake will lead to a greater cooperation between New Delhi and Colombo, said External Affairs Minister (EAM) Jaishankar, who met the Sri Lankan President on Sunday.
“Confident that the talks with PM Narendra Modi tomorrow will lead to greater trust and deeper cooperation,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.
During his visit, Dissanayake is also scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart President Droupadi Murmu.
Dissanayake is also expected to visit Bodh Gaya and also participate in a business event in Delhi to promote investment and commercial linkages between India and Sri Lanka.
On Sunday, Dissanayake met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and held talks on strengthening economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and India.
In a post on X after his meeting with Sitharaman, Dissanayake said: “Our conversations focused on strengthening Indo-Sri Lanka economic cooperation, enhancing investment opportunities, fostering regional security, and advancing key sectors such as tourism and energy. These engagements reaffirm the commitment to deepening the partnership between our two nations.”
Earlier on Sunday, Dissanayake met EAM Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.During his meeting with Sri Lankan President, Jaishankar highlighted the island nation’s prominent role in India’s Neighborhood First policy and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) Outlook.
Dissanayake also, in a post on X, said he held “fruitful discussions on the matters of mutual interest” during his meetings with Jaishankar and NAS Doval.
New Delhi has not been much happy with the new Sri Lankan government’s lack of engagement since September but Dissanayake’s first foreign visit being made to Delhi is a signal of the NPP’s prudence and indicates an intention to forge better relations.
For the unversed, Dissanayake is heading a political party in his country that has been carrying deep-rooted anti-India sentiments in its genes.
The new government-led by Dissanayake acknowledges India’s role in the economic recovery of Sri Lanka through a $4-billion loan and humanitarian aid after the 2022 economic collapse, as well as the supportive role towards inking a bailout with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to rebuild the economy.
Dissanayake has also acknowledged India’s geostrategic interests in Sri Lanka and has expressed an interest in working around issues.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Dissanayake’s visit to India “shall further strengthen the multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.”
His visit is expected to provide an opportunity to review ties between the two countries and look at the future prospects under the new leadership in Colombo.
Also, Dissanayake’s visit will give India an opportunity to hear about his plans, first hand, on Indian investments, views on regional security and his approach towards Tamil minority rights in the country among other issues.
The invitation to visit New Delhi was extended by EAM Jaishankar, who visited Colombo less than a fortnight after Dissanayake’s victory.
Jaishankar was the first foreign minister to visit Sri Lanka since the NPP government led by Dissanayake came to power on September 23.
Dissanayake’s visit was on hold until the completion of the parliamentary election in November when his NPP recorded a historic win, gaining absolute control of the 225-member Parliament.
With inputs from agencies.
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Sri Lanka President Dissanayake in India on his first foreign trip, to meet Modi today
