In first State visit President AKD off to India tomorrow

Saturday, 14 December 2024 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Will meet India’s President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and National Security Advisor in New Delhi
Participate in business event to promote investment and commercial linkages between India and Sri Lanka and also visit Bodh Gaya


President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka	Prime Minister Narendra Modi

President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, will be travelling to India tomorrow on a three-day State visit. This will be the first bilateral visit of President Dissanayaka to India after the recently concluded presidential and parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka.

During his visit, President Dissanayaka will meet Rashtrapati Ji and hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral issues of mutual interest, according to a statement issued by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.

President Dissanayaka will also participate in a business event in Delhi to promote investment and commercial linkages between India and Sri Lanka. Further, he will visit Bodh Gaya as part of the visit.

“Sri Lanka is India’s closest maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and holds a central place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy,” said the External Affairs Ministry.

“The visit of President Dissanayaka to India is expected to further strengthen the multi-faceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries,” it added.

Sources said given that it is a State visit, it is expected to deliver on both ceremonial optics and substance.

While this is Dissanayake’s first visit to India as the President, he had in his capacity as MP/Leader of NPP visited earlier this year under the ICCR Distinguished Visitors Program in February 2024. He had covered three cities then including New Delhi, Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.

The invitation was extended by External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar when he had visited Sri Lanka on 4 October this year. In fact, he was the first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka after the Presidential elections.

The President’s visit is expected to accelerate the positive momentum that the visit of the External Affairs Minister had added to the wide-ranging bilateral partnership. Jaishankar’s visit saw the announcement of new grant projects worth nearly $ 65 million, conversion of ongoing loans to grants worth $ 21 million, discussions on ongoing initiatives, investments, capacity building, etc.

Since then, there has been forward movement on several fronts. For instance: India rolled over the pending payment of over $ 1.7 billion under the Special Swap Arrangement under the ACU SAARC Mechanism; Doubled the grant support for up-gradation of 9 schools in the plantation regions of Sri Lanka; Handed over four sites of the $ 17 million Indian-assisted project aimed at installing Solar PV Rooftop Systems in 5000 religious sites across Sri Lanka; Extended flood-related assistance in the North and humanitarian assistance at the request of fishermen from Trincomalee Fishermen Trade Union; and held the 6th Joint Working Group on Fisheries.

Sources said Sunday’s visit will be a reaffirmation of Sri Lanka’s central place in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ and vision of ‘SAGAR’. It is expected to set an ambitious agenda and a roadmap for our partnership for the future, they added.