Indian Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan is set to undertake an official two-day visit to Sri Lanka, with preliminary planning discussions held Monday at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.
The coordinating meeting brought together Presidential Chief of Staff Prabath Chandrakeerthi, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage and India’s Deputy High Commissioner Dr. Satyanjal Pandey. India’s Development Cooperation Adviser Maitrey Kulkarni and Political Adviser Dr. Rambabu C. also attended.
During the visit, Radhakrishnan is expected to call on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. Officials said the agenda will focus on Indian-funded development projects already completed and those scheduled to begin, underlining New Delhi’s position as Sri Lanka’s largest bilateral development partner.
Exact visit dates have not been released publicly.
The engagement marks the third senior Indian government visit to Sri Lanka in 2026, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s earlier trip and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent stop in Hambantota. Jaishankar’s remarks at the Chinese-operated port — where he publicly characterised it in foreign-military-base terms — created diplomatic friction and drew a rare public response from Colombo.
The Vice President’s visit is likely to serve as a reaffirmation of bilateral engagement and a focal point for progress reviews on Indian-financed infrastructure, including housing, solar, ferry and digital identity projects rolled out under agreements signed during Dissanayake’s December 2024 visit to New Delhi.
Sri Lanka and India also have overlapping agendas at the IMF Spring Meetings in Washington later this month, where Colombo’s delegation is expected to press for tariff relief following the 44 per cent US levy taking effect April 9.
