At India’s Republic Day reception in Colombo, New Delhi signalled that Sri Lanka sits at the heart of its regional vision, unveiling deeper plans for connectivity, energy cooperation, trade growth and security partnership.
India has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening relations with Sri Lanka through expanded connectivity, economic cooperation and security engagement, as High Commissioner Santosh Jha addressed the 77th Republic Day reception at India House in Colombo.
Speaking before senior Sri Lankan ministers, former presidents, diplomats and business leaders, Jha described India–Sri Lanka relations as a “global model for cooperative partnership between neighbours,” rooted in civilisational ties, geographic proximity and steadily growing strategic trust.
Marking 76 years since India adopted its Constitution, the High Commissioner said India had emerged as the world’s largest democracy and the fastest growing major economy. He noted that India became the fourth largest economy in 2025 and is poised to rise further in the coming decade, reinforcing its role as a key global and regional partner.
This year’s Republic Day themes, Vande Mataram and Atmanirbhar Bharat, he said, reflect India’s journey from independence to prosperity. He stressed that self reliance does not imply isolation, but rather building domestic strength in order to become a more reliable and responsible global partner.
Sri Lanka, Jha said, occupies a special place in India’s Neighbourhood First and MAHASAGAR policies. He pointed to recent high level exchanges, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025 and President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka’s visit to India in December 2024, which together laid out an ambitious roadmap focused on physical, digital and energy connectivity.
Among key initiatives, Jha highlighted progress on the Sampur Solar Power Project, ongoing grid interconnection efforts, and discussions to develop Trincomalee as a regional energy hub in partnership with the United Arab Emirates. India is also supporting major infrastructure projects, including railway modernisation, port development at Kankesanthurai, and expanded ferry and air connectivity between India and Sri Lanka.
Digital cooperation remains a central pillar of bilateral ties. India is supporting Sri Lanka’s Unique Digital Identity project and the rollout of the Unified Payments Interface, aimed at accelerating a secure cashless economy and improving digital governance.
Economic relations continued to strengthen in 2025, with India remaining Sri Lanka’s largest source of tourists and its largest trading partner, while also becoming the second largest destination for Sri Lankan exports. Indian investments accounted for nearly 50 percent of Sri Lanka’s total foreign investment inflows last year.
India’s development assistance to Sri Lanka now exceeds USD 7.5 billion, including more than USD 850 million in grants, supporting projects across all 25 districts. Capacity building programmes have benefited parliamentarians, public officials, media professionals and workers across multiple sectors.
Jha also underscored India’s role as Sri Lanka’s first responder during Cyclone Ditwah through Operation Sagar Bandhu, which delivered emergency relief, medical aid, engineering equipment and disaster response teams. Following the cyclone, India announced a USD 450 million assistance package for reconstruction, with implementation already underway.
Defence and security cooperation, he said, remains critical, spanning maritime security, disaster response, training and joint exercises. Concluding, Jha highlighted people to people ties rooted in shared culture, religion and history, noting the upcoming public display of the Devni Mori relics of the Buddha in Colombo as a powerful symbol of enduring friendship.
“Let us build a future of shared prosperity and well being,” he said, reaffirming India–Sri Lanka relations.
