Following the conclusion of bilateral discussions between President Anura Kumara Disanayake and Indian Prime Minister – Narendra Modi, official – level talks between the delegations of Sri Lanka and India commenced this morning (April 05) at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

Representing the Government of Sri Lanka were Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath; Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Anil Jayantha; Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake; Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe, along with other senior officials. 

The Indian delegation included Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and His Excellency Santosh Jha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, along with several other senior officials of the Government of India.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake presents Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Sri Lanka Mithra Vibhooshana, the highest award from Sri Lanka to a foreign head of government, for his unwavering support to the people of Sri Lanka.

“It is a matter of immense pride for me to be conferred the ‘Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana’ by President Dissanayake today. This honour is not mine alone – it is a tribute to the 1.4 billion people of India. It symbolises the deep-rooted friendship and historic ties between the people of India and Sri Lanka. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the President, the Government and the people of Sri Lanka for this honour,” PM Modi has said on a X post.

It is a matter of immense pride for me to be conferred the 'Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana' by President Dissanayake today. This honour is not mine alone – it is a tribute to the 1.4 billion people of India. It symbolises the deep-rooted friendship and historic ties between the… pic.twitter.com/UBQyTMoJ27

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 5, 2025

Sri Lanka Police have obtained a court order from the Fort Magistrate’s Court against the planned protest by the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) and the Inter-University Students’ Federation (IUSF) today (April 05). 

The order prevents members of both groups from entering the Colombo Fort and Galle Face areas today, police said.

(Previous News on 05th April 2025 at 12:01pm)

FLSP to hold protest in Colombo today

The Front Line Socialist Party (FLSP) is to hold a protest demonstration in Colombo today (April 05).
The protest is titled ‘No Agreements To Betray the Country to Indian Dominion.

In a special media briefing held yesterday (April 04),  FLSP Chief Secretary Kumar Gunaratnam also raised concerns on the agreements that are to be signed between Sri Lanka and India during the ongoing visit of Indian PM – Narendra Modi.