Raksha Mantri calls on Sri Lankan Prime Minister in Colombo

Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh called on the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dr Harini Amarasuriya in Colombo on September 09, 2026. The two leaders exchanged views on a range of issues, with development cooperation being one of the central themes of the discussions. They also reviewed progress in other areas of mutual interest including education, information technology, infrastructure, innovation and research. They also reflected upon the ancient civilisation ties and identified strong people-to-people exchanges as an ever-lasting  connection between the two nations.

Raksha Mantri underlined that as sister democracies with shared heritage, India and Sri Lanka should continue to work on a shared developmental vision for the peace and prosperity of the region and welfare of their people. He underscored the importance of capacity building as one of the important pillars of cooperation. He conveyed that through this visit, he hopes to impart further momentum to the historic and multi-faceted India-Sri Lanka partnership.

Shri Rajnath Singh emphasised that Prime Minister Amarasuriya is one of the role models for women not only in Sri Lanka but also in India, describing her as a symbol of women empowerment and Nari Shakti. He stated that India would like to encourage more women from Sri Lanka to benefit from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarships and other Government of India initiatives to increase their participation in governance and leadership. He added that there have been several strong women leaders in India and Sri Lanka who have contributed to nation-building.

Source: PIB