Sunday 06 / April / 2025
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Sri Lanka on Saturday and witnessed the signing of energy and defense deals between the two countries.
The deals are seen as an effort to consolidate New Delhi's influence in the neighboring island nation, which is heavily indebted to China.
A five-year defense cooperation agreement provides for the training of Sri Lankan military personnel in India and the exchange of information and technology.
Security cooperation in the Indian Ocean
Modi welcomed agreements on defense cooperation and said both would collaborate on security cooperation in the Indian Ocean through the Colombo Security Conclave, which also includes Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Mauritius.
"I am grateful to President Dissanayake for his sensitivity towards India's interests. We believe that we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is interconnected and co-dependent," Modi said.
The Sri Lankan leader stressed that he understood the concerns of his neighbor.
"I have reiterated our position to Prime Minister Modi that Sri Lankan territory will not be allowed to be used by anyone to undermine India's security," Dissanayake said.
The two leaders also virtually inaugurated the construction of a 120-megawatt Indian-funded solar power plant, which is being built as a joint venture between the two countries.
Located in the island's northeastern district of Trincomalee, the solar plant had been stalled for years. With support from New Delhi, it was revived.
