Rajnath to visit Sri Lanka from Tuesday, focus on bilateral, defence ties

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to embark on a three-day official visit to Sri Lanka starting Tuesday. The trip aims to reinforce the historically robust and amicable bilateral ties between the two nations in key areas such as maritime cooperation and defence collaboration. This will mark the first visit by an Indian defence minister to Sri Lanka for defence-level discussions in 38 years, following the last such visit by K C Pant in 1988.

Pranab Mukherjee paid a visit in August 2005, but it was solely to attend the state funeral of Sri Lanka's assassinated foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar.

During his tour, Rajnath Singh will engage in consultations with the Sri Lankan leadership on various matters and meet with the Indian diaspora in Colombo, according to a statement from India's defence ministry. He will also lead a high-level delegation comprising senior officials from the defence ministry and the external affairs ministry.

The relationship between India and Sri Lanka is characterized by deep civilizational bonds and a multifaceted partnership that covers regional security, defence, economic, and trade cooperation, along with strong social and cultural ties. The bilateral relationship gained further momentum when India provided assistance to Sri Lanka during its economic crisis and following Cyclone Dutiya in 2025, demonstrating India's commitment to the 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of MAHASAGAR.