PM Modi to visit Sri Lanka next month

Colombo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Sri Lanka early next month to finalise agreements reached during President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's visit to Delhi last year, a minister said on Saturday. Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath made the statement while responding to a question on budget allocation debate in the parliament here.

"We have maintained a close relationship with our neighbour India. Our first diplomatic visit was to India, where we reached several agreements on bilateral cooperation," Herath said.

"Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive here early April," he added.

Herath said that during PM Modi's visit, several new memoranda of understandings will be signed, in addition to the opening of the Sampur solar power station.

In 2023, the state power entity Ceylon Electricity Board and India's NTPC agreed to build a 135 MW solar power plant in Sampur town of eastern Trincomalee district.

Herath said the National People's Power (NPP) government's goodwill policy towards India has resulted in many benefits to the island nation, including several ongoing Indian projects.

"We will remain neutral in our foreign policy without taking any sides while working to maintain national interest," Herath said.

This will be PM Modi's fourth visit to the island nation since 2015.