On Friday, April 4, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a three-day trip intended to deepen India-Sri Lankan relations. Despite the rain, six prominent Sri Lankan ministers greeted him warmly at the airport.
Among the ministers were Saroja Savithri Paulraj (Women and Child Affairs), Chrishantha Abeysena (Science and Technology), Ramalingam Chandrasekar (Fisheries), Anil Jayantha (Labour), Nalinda Jayatissa (Health and Mass Media), and Vijitha Herath (Foreign Affairs).
PM Modi’s visit comes after he attended the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand, where he met with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and other leaders in bilateral meetings.
He will meet with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka on April 5 for extensive discussions aimed at strengthening collaboration in trade, digitalization, energy security, and defense. He is visiting Sri Lanka for the fourth time since 2015 and for the first time since President Dissanayake was elected.
PM Modi will also visit the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi temple and inaugurate development projects financed by Indian aid in Anuradhapura while he is there.
Given that Sri Lanka has previously benefited greatly from financial assistance from India, his visit coincides with the country’s economic recovery.
The visit was welcomed with enthusiasm by the Indian diaspora in Sri Lanka, which emphasized India’s expanding global influence under PM Modi’s direction.
