Sri Lankan President Dissanayake to visit India from December 15 to 17

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will embark on a two-day official visit to India starting December 15, marking his first overseas trip since taking office, as announced on Tuesday.

During the visit, Dissanayake is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu, according to Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayathissa.

Dissanayake will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath and Deputy Minister of Finance Anil Jayantha Fernando, as per Jayathissa, who also serves as the Minister of Health. This visit, set for December 15-17, will be Dissanayake's first international trip since his election as Sri Lanka's president in September.

The invitation for the visit to New Delhi was extended by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who visited Colombo shortly after Dissanayake's election victory. Jaishankar was the first foreign dignitary to visit Sri Lanka following the rise of the National People's Power (NPP) government, led by Dissanayake, on September 23.

Dissanayake’s visit had been delayed until after Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections in November, in which his NPP secured a historic win, gaining full control of the 225-member Parliament.

Agency