India, SL set to ink defence pact during Modi’s trip to Colombo

New Delhi: For the first time, India and Sri Lanka are set to sign a major defence cooperation pact during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nation next week, a move that comes amid China’s relentless attempts to increase its military influence over Colombo.

The two sides are also likely to firm up a raft of other bilateral agreements including one on restructuring Sri Lanka’s debt following talks between Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka in Colombo on April 5.

In the second and final leg of his two-nation tour, Modi will arrive in Sri Lanka on the evening of April 4 on a three-day trip after concluding his visit to Thailand.

At a media briefing Friday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) on defence cooperation is expected to be inked and it is being signed for the first time.

If signed, the MoU on defence cooperation is set to signal a major upward trajectory in India-Sri Lanka defence leaving behind the bitter chapter relating to India pulling out the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from the island nation around 35 years ago.

Finer details of the proposed defence pact are not immediately available but it is expected to enhance the two-way defence engagements against the backdrop of China’s increasing presence in the Indian Ocean Region. The docking of 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 2023. “Sri Lanka is an integral part of our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and the relationship, based on mutual trust and good will, has stood the test of time,” Misri said on the overall relations.

Modi’s visit will focus on promoting investments and deepening connectivity -- physical connectivity, digital connectivity, energy connectivity and boost cooperation in various other domains, he said.

Modi will be the first foreign leader to be hosted by Disanayaka in his capacity as the Sri Lankan president. Modi last travelled to Sri Lanka in 2019.

The prime minister’s trip to Sri Lanka comes over three months after Disanayaka visited India during which he categorically conveyed to Modi that the island nation will not allow its territory to be used against New Delhi’s security interests.

“India has come to the assistance of Sri Lanka at critical moments, most recently during the unprecedented economic crisis that it faced in 2022,” Misri said.

“India was glad to be able to play a key role in economic stabilisation and recovery of Sri lanka, demonstrating its commitment as a dependable neighbour to Sri Lanka,” he said.

Misri said Modi’s visit to the island nation comes in the context of a recovering Sri Lankan economy. As Sri Lanka resumes its “growth path”, the visit is coming at an opportune moment for giving the two countries an opportunity to explore new areas of partnership and cooperation, he added.

Sri Lanka was reeling under a massive economic crisis two years back and India extended financial assistance worth USD 4.5 billion to the country.