Rajnath Singh Meets Dissanayake In Landmark Colombo Visit

Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister of India, had a meeting with the President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in the capital city of Sri Lanka, Colombo, on Tuesday. Expressing happiness about the meeting, which he described by as highly productive, the Defence Minister extended greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and congratulated the President on the successful completion of two years as President. India and Sri Lanka were seen as neighbours and maritime partners with a rich history between them.

A Visit Four Decades In The Making

This visit is significant since it will mark the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Sri Lanka for talks at the level of defence in almost forty years. This has been the case since the last such visit was made in 1988 by Defence Minister KC Pant. Before his visit, Singh stated that Sri Lanka is one of India's partner countries through the Neighbourhood First and MAHASAGAR initiative.

India Reaffirms Support For Sri Lanka

Singh began his visit with a speech to the community in Colombo that India will help Sri Lanka irrespective of anything. He assured them that the link between India and Sri Lanka is because of history, culture, and religion. Next, he talked about how India has developed, where India has increased from USD 2 trillion in 2014 to around USD 4 trillion within the last decade and had a growth rate of 7.8 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. Next, Singh addressed the community about how India signed agreements with 38 countries in the last twelve years, including eight major economies.