Sri Lankan PM Rajapaksa to visit India today will hold meet on trade and defence

New Delhi: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to begin his four-day visit to India today (February 7). He is scheduled to hold high-level meetings on trade, defence, and maritime security cooperation.

Rajapaksa is set to meet with President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S S Jaishankar. This is the first overseas visit undertaken by Rajapaksa since his brother Gotabaya was elected President in November 2019.

The Lankan PM will arrive in New Delhi on February 7 at 5.35 pm in the evening, his meeting with Jaishankar is set for February 8 after which he will be accorded a ceremonial reception by the Indian president at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

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Rajapaksa will then proceed to Raj Ghat for the wreath-laying ceremony, following which he will keep his meeting with the PM Modi at Hyderabad House. In the evening on Saturday, he will call on the President at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

On Sunday (February 9) morning, the Lankan PM will travel to Varanasi and visit Kashi Vishwanath temple and the Sarnath Buddhist temple. 

Rajapaksa will be travelling to Bodh Gaya on Monday to visit the Mahabodhi Temple and later that day reach Tirupati for his darshan set for Tuesday early morning. At 11.30 am he will emplane for his trip back to Sri Lanka.