When Colombo comes calling

President Dissanayake's visit should allay fears of a Sri Lankan pivot towards China

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It is significant that Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake used his first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convey an assurance that his government will not allow Sri Lankan soil to be used against Indian interests.

It is also significant that, at a time when the leaders of Nepal and the Maldives have moved away from the convention of travelling first to India after assuming office, Dissanayake chose India for his first foreign trip.

In some ways, this is the result of India's outreach to Dissanayake and his Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party in the months preceding the presidential and general elections in Sri Lanka, when it became evident that the political tide was turning in the island nation.