Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya embarked on her maiden official visit to India from October 16 to 18, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the bilateral relationship between the two South Asian neighbours. This Sri Lankan PM India visit represents the continuation of high-level diplomatic exchanges that have characterised the enduring friendship between New Delhi and Colombo. As the sixteenth Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Amarasuriya’s journey to India carries profound implications for regional cooperation, economic partnerships, and strategic collaboration in the Indian Ocean region.
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The Sri Lankan PM India visit comes at a crucial juncture when both nations are navigating complex geopolitical challenges while strengthening their historical and cultural bonds. This being her maiden visit to India after assuming charge as Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Harini’s meetings with the top leaders will be on the lines of Sri Lanka’s India-first policy. The three-day engagement encompasses political consultations, academic exchanges, and exploration of investment opportunities that could reshape the economic landscape of the island nation.
Background: Harini Amarasuriya’s Journey to Leadership
Before delving into the specifics of this Sri Lankan PM India visit, understanding Amarasuriya’s background provides essential context. She was sworn in as the Sixteenth Prime Minister on September 24 and has quickly established herself as a leader committed to democratic values and regional cooperation. An academic and anthropologist by training, she was a prominent figure in Sri Lankan higher education and social activism before entering politics in 2020.
Her educational connection with India runs deep. The Sri Lankan Prime Minister is an alumna of Delhi University’s Hindu College. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Delhi University from 1991 to 1994. This personal bond with Indian institutions adds a unique dimension to the Sri Lankan PM India visit, bridging official diplomacy with emotional connections forged through education and cultural exchange.
Nostalgic Return: Hindu College Homecoming
One of the most touching moments of the Sri Lankan PM India visit was Amarasuriya’s return to her alma mater, Delhi University’s Hindu College, as an alumnus. The visit was filled with celebrations, cultural performances, and extended interactions with students, faculty, and staff. As a student of the Sociology department, Amarasuriya recalled her days in college 30 years ago, her classrooms and the north campus in the college.
During her address at Hindu College, the Sri Lankan Prime Minister exhorted students to ask difficult questions and challenge assumptions, emphasising that education and empathy must go hand in hand. She delivered a powerful message about building bridges rather than barriers, stating that intelligence is incomplete without compassion. Highlighting the importance of safeguarding the democratic system, Amarasuriya told students to defend it, noting that democracy is not a spectator’s sport; it is hard work.
High-Level Political Consultations
The core agenda of the Sri Lankan PM India visit involved crucial meetings with India’s top leadership. Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya will hold several high-level meetings, including with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. She met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who discussed India’s continued support to Sri Lanka and strengthening cooperation in education and capacity building.
Speaking about the purpose of her visit, Prime Minister Amarasuriya said the focus was on further increasing and strengthening the India-Sri Lanka relationship. The discussions encompassed a wide spectrum of bilateral issues, from trade and investment to security cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. The Sri Lankan PM India visit served as a platform to reaffirm both nations’ commitment to the principles enshrined in India’s neighbourhood-first policy and its MAHASAGAR vision for Indian Ocean cooperation.
Economic Cooperation and Investment Focus
Economic Cooperation and Investment FocusA significant component of this Sri Lankan PM India visit centred on attracting Indian investments to Sri Lanka. According to highly placed sources, she will discuss in depth attracting Indian investments to Sri Lanka. Sources indicate that Harini will have a friendly conversation with all the stakeholders in India to take home investments in various sectors, including power, education, infrastructure and many more.
The Sri Lankan Prime Minister will also meet with representatives from Indian business chambers and industry bodies, as both countries explore ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, and development projects. This economic dimension of the Sri Lankan PM India visit reflects Sri Lanka’s urgent need for foreign direct investment as it continues its economic recovery following the severe crisis of recent years.
The timing of this engagement is particularly relevant, as her visit comes exactly six months after Prime Minister Modi signed several important MoUs to strengthen the bilateral relationship between India and Sri Lanka in the areas of defence, maritime and other key sectors.
Educational and Technological Collaboration
As someone who holds dual responsibilities as Prime Minister and Education Minister of Sri Lanka, Amarasuriya’s focus on educational partnerships formed a crucial element of the Sri Lankan PM India visit. Amarasuriya will visit IIT-Delhi and NITI Aayog to explore avenues of collaboration in education and technology.
During interactions, Amarasuriya praised India’s progress in digital governance, describing it as an example for others to follow. She noted that the digitalisation of governance systems is making the public sector digitalised, and India is actually an excellent example of how digitalisation can lead to more accountable governments, more accessible, transparent systems. Sri Lanka is examining India’s digital governance model to implement similar initiatives at home, demonstrating the knowledge-sharing aspect of this Sri Lankan PM India visit.
Maritime Security and Strategic Cooperation
The Sri Lankan PM India visit also addressed critical maritime security concerns. Prime Minister Amarasuriya underscored the strategic importance of the ocean for maritime nations and emphasised the imperative of collective efforts to safeguard this shared resource. She highlighted the potential for deeper collaboration in countering transnational challenges, including anti-narcotics operations, illegal and unreported fishing, marine pollution, and terrorism at sea.
The Lankan Prime Minister further emphasised the need for closer coordination in search and rescue missions, stronger information sharing, and the expansion of training ties between the navies of India and Sri Lanka. The Indian Navy acknowledged that the meeting reflected the shared vision of both countries to promote peace, stability, and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean Region through mutual trust and cooperation.
NDTV World Summit Keynote Address
NDTV World Summit Keynote AddressAs part of the Sri Lankan PM’s India visit itinerary, Amarasuriya delivered the Keynote Address on “Steering Change in Uncertain Times” at the NDTV World Summit, organised by NDTV and Chintan Research Foundation. This platform provided her an opportunity to articulate her vision for regional cooperation and share Sri Lanka’s perspectives on navigating contemporary global challenges.
The address complemented the diplomatic aspects of the visit by allowing the Sri Lankan Prime Minister to engage with a broader audience, including policymakers, business leaders, academics, and civil society representatives. Her message about transforming political culture and removing corruption and nepotism resonated strongly with participants at the summit.
India’s Neighbourhood First Policy in Action
The Sri Lankan PM India visit exemplifies the operationalisation of India’s neighbourhood-first policy. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the visit will further enhance the bonds of friendship, backed by India’s MAHASAGAR Vision and its Neighbourhood First policy. The MAHASAGAR acronym stands for Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions, representing India’s comprehensive approach to engagement with Indian Ocean nations.
Recalling India’s aid during the economic crisis in the island country, Amarasuriya said it was the hand of a true friend in our darkest hours. This acknowledgement underscores the depth of support India provided to Sri Lanka during its most challenging economic period, reinforcing the foundation upon which future cooperation will be built.
Geopolitical Context: Balancing Regional Relationships
The Sri Lankan PM India visit must be understood within the broader geopolitical context of South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Her meetings with the external affairs minister and the prime minister assume significance as she has arrived in Delhi after her three-day visit to China, which concluded on October 15. During her visit, Amarasuriya attended the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women 2025 and met Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This sequence of visits to both Beijing and New Delhi reflects Sri Lanka’s balanced foreign policy approach, maintaining constructive relationships with major regional powers while pursuing its national interests. The Sri Lankan PM India visit, therefore, represents not just bilateral engagement but also Sri Lanka’s navigation of complex regional dynamics.
Cultural and Civilizational Bonds
Cultural and Civilizational BondsThroughout the Sri Lankan PM India visit, leaders from both nations emphasised the deep cultural and civilizational ties that bind the two countries. Amarasuriya stated that India and Sri Lanka are closely tied together by history, culture, and shared values. The two neighbouring nations are bound by civilisational and cultural ties, and India is an unwavering partner in Sri Lanka’s journey.
These historical connections extend beyond mere diplomatic rhetoric, manifesting in shared Buddhist heritage, linguistic links, and centuries of people-to-people exchanges. The emotional resonance of Amarasuriya’s return to her alma mater symbolised these enduring bonds, demonstrating how educational exchanges contribute to strengthening bilateral relationships across generations.
Conclusion: Charting a Path Forward
The Sri Lankan PM India visit from October 16 to 18, 2025, represents a pivotal moment in India-Sri Lanka relations. Through high-level political consultations, exploration of economic partnerships, educational collaboration, and strategic dialogue on maritime security, the visit laid the groundwork for enhanced bilateral cooperation across multiple domains.
As both nations confront shared challenges ranging from economic development to climate change and regional security, the frameworks established during this Sri Lankan PM India visit will prove instrumental in fostering collaborative solutions. The personal connection Amarasuriya shares with India through her educational background adds a unique dimension to official diplomacy, potentially facilitating more nuanced and empathetic engagement between the two countries.
Looking ahead, the commitments and understandings reached during this visit will require sustained follow-up and implementation. The success of the Sri Lankan PM India visit will ultimately be measured not by the warmth of the reception or the eloquence of speeches, but by tangible improvements in trade, investment flows, security cooperation, and the lived experiences of citizens in both nations who benefit from strengthened bilateral ties. As both countries navigate an increasingly complex international environment, their partnership, anchored in shared history, mutual respect, and common aspiration, offers hope for a more stable and prosperous South Asian region.
