PM lands in Sri Lanka; key pacts on the table

India and Sri Lanka are set to unveil measures to bolster cooperation in areas ranging from digitalisation to energy and defence at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday, as New Delhi continues its support for the island nation's economic recovery.

- Rezaul H Laskar

COLOMBO:

Modi, who arrived in Colombo on Friday evening after attending the Bimstec Summit in Bangkok, will be the first foreign leader to be hosted by Dissanayake since leading a coalition headed by his party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), to victory in last year's election.

Sri Lanka rolled out the red carpet for Modi, with six ministers, including foreign minister Vijitha Herath, turning out to receive him at Bandaranaike International Airport.

Though the JVP has for long been known for its historic anti-India stance, the Indian side made an outreach to Dissanayake early last year, inviting him to New Delhi months before the election. The courting of the JVP leader paid off for the Indian government when Dissanayake made New Delhi his first port of call last December after becoming president, and gave Modi an assurance that Sri Lanka wouldn't allow its soil to be used against Indian interests.