Sri Lankan President plans India visit by mid-December

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is planning to visit India in the middle of December, in what will be his first official foreign trip since being elected President in September.

The indication of the visit came from Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath earlier this week. It was in response to external affairs minister S Jaishankar's invitation. A number of economic and development-oriented pacts--which can potentially boost Sri Lanka's economy--are expected to be signed during Dissanayake's visit.

Sri Lanka's new Cabinet, with Harini Amarasuriya as the prime minister, was formed following the National People's Power party's victory in the Parliamentary polls held on November 14. Dissanayake will directly oversee key ministries, including defence, finance, planning and digital economy. Dissanayake is no stranger to India, having visited the country earlier this year. ET had reported earlier that he showed interest in replicating the Unique Identification Authority of India model and Amul type of cooperative in Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Amul is exploring the possibility of opening a unit in Sri Lanka.