Rajnath Singh meets Sri Lankan President to strengthen regional security ties

Colombo,UPDATED: Sep 9, 2026 13:52 IST

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and discussed bilateral ties, including ways to ensure the “security, safety, peace and prosperity of our region”. Singh also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s best wishes to Dissanayake and congratulated him on his government completing two years in office.

Singh, who arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday on a three-day visit, is the first Indian defence minister to visit the island nation in 38 years. He is leading a high-level delegation comprising senior officials from the ministries of defence and external affairs.

“Had a warm and extremely productive meeting with Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of Sri Lanka in Colombo, today,” Singh posted on X. “I conveyed to him greetings on behalf of PM Narendra Modi and extended felicitations on successful completion of two years of his government,” he said.

“We reaffirmed that as civilisational twins, close neighbours and maritime partners India and Sri Lanka, would continue to work together for the development of our countries and welfare of our people as well as work jointly to ensure the safety, security, peace and prosperity of our region,” he said.

On Tuesday, Singh said India would always stand firmly with Sri Lanka in times of crisis, stressing that ties between the two countries are based on shared history, culture and faith. He made the remarks during an interaction with the Indian diaspora. “India will always stand firmly with Sri Lanka whenever the island nation faces a crisis,” Singh said. The visit has focused on ties between the two countries, regional cooperation and India’s message of support to Sri Lanka.

With PTI Inputs

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