India and Sri Lanka on Monday exchanged key Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in New Delhi.
It comes after Dissanayake arrived in New Delhi on Sunday evening on a State visit to India from December 15 to 17, marking his first overseas visit after being elected President in September.
PM Modi expressed his gratitude over Dissanayake’s first foreign visit to India after becoming the President and noted that it will strengthen India’s ties with the island nation.
“I welcome President Dissanayake to India. We are delighted that as the President, you chose India for your first State Visit. With today’s Yatra, new speed and energy are being generated in our relations. For our partnership, we have adopted a futuristic vision. In our economic cooperation, we have emphasised investment-led growth and connectivity,” said PM Modi in a joint statement.
Addressing the joint presser, PM Modi further noted that India and Sri Lanka’s security interests are interlinked and said, “We have decided to finalise the Defence Cooperation Agreement soon. Cooperation on hydrography has also been agreed upon. We believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development.”
