Dissanayake in India on first trip abroad as Sri Lankan President

New Delhi: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake began his India visit on Sunday - his first trip abroad since replacing Ranil Wickremesinghe in September - with a promise to strengthen economic bonds and Indian Ocean Region partnership.

Dissanayake is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday.

A number of economic and development-oriented pacts that would boost the Lankan economy are expected to be agreed or signed during the visit.


Earlier this month, Sri Lanka Ports Authority chairman Sirimewan Ranasinghe told ET that the SLPA was satisfied with the progress on an Adani Ports & SEZ-led project in Colombo that he said was on track so far.

Understandably, the security situation in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) where India is the net security provider will be among key talking points. Earlier, Sri Lanka had agreed to India's suggestion in disallowing Chinese spy ships in the island nation. Beijing has major ambitions to emerge as a power in the IOR in what would challenge India's primacy.

The visit follows the formation of Sri Lanka's new Cabinet after the National People's Power (NPP) party's decisive victory in the Parliamentary polls held on November 14. Dissanayake will directly oversee key ministries, including defence, finance, planning and digital economy.

No stranger to India

Dissanayake is no stranger to India, having visited the country earlier this year. He has shown keen interest to replicate the UIDAI model and Amul-type cooperative in Lanka, ET had earlier reported. Amul is exploring options to open a unit in Sri Lanka.

In April 2022, Sri Lanka had declared its first-ever sovereign default since gaining Independence. The unprecedented financial crisis in what was once a stable economy forced the then President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to quit office in 2022 amid civil unrest.

Earning goodwill

India had subsequently pitched in with about $4 billion in assistance to enable the island nation recover from a deep economic crisis, after it announced the default on over $51 billion in foreign loans. New Delhi earned tremendous goodwill in Sri Lanka by being the first responder during the 2022 crisis.