VP Radhakrishnan Visits Sri Lanka, Reaffirms India's Neighbourhood First Policy

In a post on X, the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Vice President Shri. C.P. Radhakrishnan called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of Sri Lanka at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo today."

He added, providing the details of the discussions occuring between the 2 leaders, "They held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India -Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history and cultural values. Vice President reaffirmed India's commitment to the Neighbourhood First policy and to further strengthen our cooperation for the benefit of both nations."

"The discussions also focused on various initiatives, including the Indian Housing Project and projects being implemented under the USD 450 mn package for areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka," he said.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the 2-day visit (April 19-20) includes meetings with Sri Lanka's top leadership and engagements with the Indian-origin Tamil community. The visit is part of India's broader diplomatic outreach under its Neighbourhood First policy.

During the visit, the Vice President is scheduled to meet Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and the Leader of the Opposition, along with representatives of Sri Lankan Tamil and Indian-origin Tamil political groups.

According to Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha, the Vice President will also engage directly with communities in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka's picturesque up-country tea-growing region, where a large section of the Indian-origin Tamil community resides.

There, he will visit settlements developed under India's Housing Project Phase III, which has already constructed 4,000 houses, with an additional 10,000 currently underway.

The visit is expected to see the Vice President interact with Indian-origin Tamil families, visit housing projects, and also tour the Seetha Temple in Nuwara Eliya.

Welcoming the visit, the President of the Lanka India Business Association, Santosh Menon, told ANI, "I consider this a significant and important moment in the history of the relationship between the two countries. As you know, in the recent past, India and Sri Lanka's relationship has been at its best."

Furthermore, on VP Radhakrishnan's visit to Sri Lanka, President of the Indian CEO Forum (ICF) in Sri Lanka, Kishore Reddy, expressed happiness, saying, "We are very happy as his visit is going to strengthen people-to-people ties as well as the business and economic relationship that India already has. With his visit, the ties between India and Sri Lanka are going to get strengthened...India has always assisted Sri Lanka in all the calamities, including the recent Cyclone Ditwah and the present crisis as well."

The Ministry of External Affairs has described Sri Lanka as a key partner under India's Neighbourhood First policy and Vision MAHASAGAR framework, noting that the visit will further reinforce centuries-old civilisational ties and deepen the enduring people-to-people relationship between the two nations.

- ANI