Colombo [Sri Lanka], September 8: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh received a warm welcome from members of the Indian diaspora on Tuesday after arriving at a Colombo hotel. Singh reached the Sri Lankan capital earlier in the day for a three-day official visit aimed at further strengthening bilateral maritime and defence cooperation.
During his visit, Singh is scheduled to hold discussions with Sri Lankan leaders on a range of issues of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on defence, maritime security and regional cooperation. The talks are expected to further consolidate the traditionally close and friendly ties between the two countries.
The Ministry of Defence said Singh was leading a high-level delegation and would engage with Sri Lankan leadership on several areas of mutual benefit, including the countries' maritime and defence partnership.
"Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh today left for Sri Lanka on a 3-day visit to the island nation. Leading a high-level delegation, Raksha Mantri will hold talks with Sri Lanka's leadership on a range of issues to further strengthen traditionally strong and friendly bilateral relations in mutually beneficial areas, including a strong maritime and defence partnership. He will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Colombo during the visit," the ministry said in a post on X.
Ahead of his departure, Singh expressed confidence that the visit would lead to productive discussions with the Sri Lankan leadership. He described Sri Lanka as an important partner for India under the Neighbourhood First policy and the MAHASAGAR framework.
"Leaving New Delhi for Sri Lanka on a three-day official visit. Looking forward to a productive engagement with the leadership of Sri Lanka during the visit. I shall also be interacting with the vibrant Indian diaspora in Sri Lanka. Besides our longstanding partnership as well as deep historical and civilisational ties, Sri Lanka is one of our most important partners under the Neighbourhood First and MAHASAGAR initiatives," Singh said in a post on X.
According to the Ministry of Defence, India and Sri Lanka share deep historical and civilisational ties and maintain a broad-based partnership encompassing defence and security, economic and trade cooperation, regional stability and strong people-to-people relations.
The ministry highlighted India's support to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis and its role as one of the first responders following Cyclone Ditwah in 2025.
"The bilateral relationship received further impetus when India assisted Sri Lanka during the economic crisis and provided assistance, as one of the first responders, in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka in 2025. It underscored India’s continued commitment and emphasis on the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions)," the ministry said.
India had earlier announced a USD 450 million financial assistance package for post-cyclone reconstruction in Sri Lanka. The assistance covers areas including transport infrastructure, housing, education and healthcare, agriculture and disaster-management capabilities.
The latest visit comes against the backdrop of growing defence and maritime engagement between the two countries. Sri Lankan Navy Commander Vice Admiral Damian Fernando visited India earlier in August and held discussions with Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani on strengthening military preparedness and bilateral defence cooperation.
"CDS General N.S. Raja Subramani interacted with Vice-Admiral Damian Fernando, Sri Lanka Navy Commander, during his official visit to India. The leaders reviewed existing bilateral defence cooperation, explored new avenues for joint military training and capacity enhancement, and discussed key regional security matters to further deepen the India-Sri Lanka strategic partnership," the Headquarters of Integrated Defence Staff said in a post on X.
During his India visit, Fernando also met Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh to discuss the implementation of various initiatives under the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Plan.
He subsequently held talks with Indian Navy Chief Admiral Krishna Swaminathan on measures to enhance maritime security cooperation between the two countries.
The Indian Navy said the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region in line with India's MAHASAGAR vision.
Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha said bilateral engagement between the two countries had gained considerable momentum in recent years. Speaking to ANI, Jha noted that there had been regular exchanges of ministerial-level visits between India and Sri Lanka over the past two to three years.
"If you look at the last 2-3 years, the engagement between India and Sri Lanka has acquired a new intensity. There is a regular exchange of ministerial-level visits from India to Sri Lanka and from Sri Lanka to India. We need to see this as part of that," Jha said.
He stressed that security and defence remain important pillars of the broader India-Sri Lanka relationship and said Singh's visit would provide an opportunity to review ongoing defence cooperation initiatives.
"As you know, we have several different aspects of our partnership. Security and defence are very significant aspects of that. The visit of the Defence Minister is in the context that we will be taking forward some of the ongoing initiatives. We'll exchange notes on how far we have come so far on various defence cooperation issues," Jha said.
Jha also underlined the wider political significance of Singh's visit, describing him as one of India's senior political leaders with extensive experience at the highest levels of government.
"I must also request that people see it in the larger context. He's a very senior leader from India, a person who has been at the helm for many years, and so we are looking at this as part of the larger political-level exchanges between India and Sri Lanka," he added.
Singh's three-day visit is expected to further reinforce the strategic partnership between India and Sri Lanka, particularly in the areas of defence, maritime security and regional stability.
