Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Harini Amarasuriya, on Friday, October 17, to discuss strengthening the historic and multifaceted bilateral relationship. Modi affirmed India’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s shared development journey, highlighting a broad range of cooperation areas including education, women’s empowerment, innovation, and development aid. The meeting imparted fresh momentum to ties that have been reinforced by high-level exchanges, including Modi’s state visit to Sri Lanka in April this year.
A central point of the discussion was the welfare of the Indian fishermen, a sensitive and long-standing issue primarily concerning fishermen from Tamil Nadu entering Sri Lankan waters. Sri Lankan PM Amarasuriya acknowledged the issue’s sensitivity, asserting that her government must also protect the livelihoods of its own fishermen who are recovering after years of conflict. Both leaders agreed on the necessity of maintaining continuous dialogue to find a “practical solution” and adopting a “humanitarian approach” to the matter.During her three-day official visit, Amarasuriya, who also serves as the Education Minister, held separate meetings with Indian officials and engaged with educational institutions like IIT Delhi. Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the education sector, including infrastructure development, joint research, and academic collaboration. The visit underscored India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and the shared vision for regional stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region.
