March 6, 2025: Following the tradition of visiting India as the first port of call after getting elected, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited India in December 2024. Taking forward this, PM Modi is likely to visit the island nation in April, combining it with the BIMSTEC summit that is supposed to take place in Thailand.

This will be Modi’s maiden trip to Sri Lanka after the new president was elected.

A range of issues are on focus ahead of the trip, including connectivity and economic ties between the two neighbouring countries. On the connectivity front, a new ferry route between India’s Rameshwaram and Sri Lanka’s Talaimanner is on the cards. A multi product petroleum pipeline, that links Nagapattinam to Trincomalee with the help of IOCL is being discussed. There is also a proposal for power grid connectivity.

During his visit to India last year, the Sri Lankan president assured the Indian Government that Sri Lanka’s land won’t be used in any form which harms India’s interests.