India News | Sri Lankan President's Visit Will Bolster Ties: India

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka's upcoming visit to India is expected to further bolster the multi-faceted and mutually beneficial bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday.

Disanayaka is arriving in the national capital on Sunday on a three-day visit, in his first trip abroad after becoming president in September.

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The Sri Lankan leader will meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral issues of mutual interest, the MEA said.

Disanayaka will attend a business event in Delhi to promote investment and commercial linkages between India and Sri Lanka. He is also scheduled to visit Bodh Gaya.

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Sri Lanka is India's closest maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and holds a central place in Prime Minister Modi's vision of 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy, the MEA said.

"The visit of President Disanayaka to India is expected to further strengthen the multi-faceted and mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries," it said in a statement.

Issues relating to maritime security cooperation are likely to figure in talks during Disanayaka's visit.

India has been expanding its overall defence and strategic ties with Sri Lanka amid concerns over China's attempts to increase its military presence in the Indian Ocean.

The docking of the Chinese missile and satellite tracking ship 'Yuan Wang' at Hambantota port in August 2022 had triggered a diplomatic row between India and Sri Lanka.

Another Chinese warship docked at the Colombo port in August last year.

India has been supporting various capacity building measures of Sri Lankan defence forces including providing indigenously constructed Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs).

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