The Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh who arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday (08) is scheduled to call on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for high-level talks.

The meeting is scheduled to take place this morning at the Presidential Secretariat. 

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Sri Lanka last afternoon on a three-day official visit.

He was received at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) by Deputy Minister of Defence Maj Gen Aruna Jayasekara (Retd.) and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Shri Santosh Jha.

Accordingly, he is scheduled to remain in Sri Lanka from today until September 10.

The visit is aimed at further strengthening defence cooperation between India and Sri Lanka.

During his visit, the Indian Defence Minister is also scheduled to call on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Defence Ministry Secretary Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Sampath Thuyacontha, and several other officials.

According to Indian media reports, the visit is also expected to include a review of the implementation of the India-Sri Lanka defence cooperation agreement signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka last year.

This is the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Sri Lanka in 38 years.

Meanwhile, the Colombo Traffic Division has implemented a special traffic plan in view of Rajnath Singh’s visit.

Accordingly, traffic restrictions will be imposed on several main roads in Colombo at various times as the Indian Defence Minister travels to different locations during his three-day visit.

Yesterday, visiting Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh assured Sri Lanka of India’s unwavering support, saying New Delhi would stand by Colombo with its full strength whenever the island nation faces a crisis, while stressing the deep-rooted and civilisational ties between the two countries.

Addressing a community reception organised in Colombo, Singh described Sri Lanka as a “very close friend” of India and underscored the importance of maintaining strong relations with neighbouring countries.

“India considers Sri Lanka a very close friend. India understands this reality very well — that in life, everything can change, but neighbours can never change. Friends can change in life, but neighbours can never change,” he said.

Singh said India’s longstanding tradition was to treat its neighbours as family members and expressed his happiness at meeting members of the Indian diaspora in Sri Lanka.