Colombo: Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday discussed the proposed link between India and the island nation through an oil pipeline, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said here.
Radhakrishnan and Dissanayake also had productive discussions on further deepening of multilateral bilateral ties, housing projects and fisheries issues between the two South Asian neighbours.
“Some initiatives that are being developed by the Indian side and some proposals that have already been discussed between the two countries, among them stand out the project related to the energy center in Trincomalee and the proposal to connect India and Sri Lanka through an oil pipeline.
“And in fact, it was emphasized about the value of such an energy link, especially at a time like now, when the whole world and this region in particular is facing the consequences of an energy crisis created by the West Asian Situation,” Misri told reporters here after the first day of Radhakrishnan’s visit.
Radhakrishnan’s visit is the first ever by an Indian Vice President to Sri Lanka, he said.
“The President underlined the very strong bond, the civilization bond, between the two countries. He referred on more than one occasion to the difference Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy has made in strengthening India-Sri Lanka relations,” Misri said.
He also highlighted India’s first response role in recent years, first during the economic crisis faced by Sri Lanka in 2022 and then more recently, after Cyclone Ditwah in November-December 2025 and also referred to the assistance that India is currently providing as Sri Lanka deals with the aftermath of the crisis in West Asia.
The Vice President, who arrived here earlier in the day on a two-day visit, also discussed with Dissanayake the implementation of the ongoing Indian project in Sri Lanka with emphasis on the USD 450 million Cyclone Ditwah aid provided by India.
Apart from the President of Sri Lanka, Radhakrishnan also met Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya and Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa.
During his meeting with Dissanayake, Radhakrishnan emphasized on India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and bilateral development cooperation, officials said.
“The two leaders held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India-Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history, strong civilizational and people-to-people ties,” according to a social media post by Radhakrishnan.
They held wide-ranging discussions on various initiatives, including the Indian housing project and projects being implemented under the USD 450 million package for Cyclone Ditwah-affected areas in Sri Lanka, including reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the most affected regions of the Indian-origin Tamil community, he added.
The two sides also discussed fishermen’s issues in a humanitarian manner, taking into account the livelihood of the fishing communities on both sides.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya hosted a lunch meeting for the Vice President at her official residence, during which the two leaders “shared the civilizational heritage of both countries” and discussed the importance of further strengthening bilateral ties, including people-to-people ties.
When Leader of the Opposition Premadasa called on Radhakrishnan, the two leaders discussed further strengthening India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties.
“Sri Lanka and India are not just neighbours, we are true partners with shared history, shared challenges and a shared future. It is time to move with greater ambition, purpose and confidence to reap the benefits of this partnership for all citizens,” Premadasa said in a social media post.
The Vice President also met leaders of Sri Lankan Tamil parties and Tamil parties of Indian origin.
The Tamil parties thanked the Government of India for its efforts in the rehabilitation and aid package of 450 million dollars after Cyclone Ditwah, as well as other relief measures taken.
A number of memoranda of understanding between the two countries are also scheduled to be exchanged during the visit, a statement from Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry said.
India’s foreign secretary also stated that the digital ID project and the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) were also discussed during Radhakrishnan’s visit to Sri Lanka, a local media report said.
Later in the day, the vice president also attended a community reception organized by the Indian diaspora here, during which he virtually handed over houses to beneficiaries from the Tamil communities, built with the help of the Indian government as part of the third phase of the Indian Housing Project.
With this, the total number of houses for the Tamil communities will reach 50,000, and another 10,000 houses are being built in the fourth phase of the project, an official statement said.
During his speech, Radhakrishnan, who spoke in Tamil, greeted people on the occasion of the New Year and said that the Tamil new year and the Sinhala new year, celebrated on the same day four days ago, showed the ancient civilizational ties between the two communities.
Radhakrishnan also visited the Gagaramaya Temple and then visited the New Kathiresan Temple in the Sri Lankan capital. He was warmly welcomed with traditional Tamil music and dance.
On Monday, the vice president will travel to Nuwara Eliya, visit the Indian Housing Projects and interact with the local Tamil community.
Accompanied by a 49-member delegation, the vice president was earlier received at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo by Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage and several other dignitaries.
This visit, which follows recent high-level engagements between the two countries, is expected to further strengthen the thousand-year-old civilizational and people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka, an official statement said.
