Thu Mar 06 06:10:47 UTC 2025: ## Modi to Visit Sri Lanka in Early April, Launching Joint Solar Project
**Colombo/New Delhi, March 6, 2025** – Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Sri Lanka during the first week of April, according to Sri Lankan media reports. While the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has yet to officially confirm the visit, sources suggest it’s likely, coinciding with Mr. Modi’s anticipated attendance at the BIMSTEC summit in Thailand.
The visit follows an invitation from Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who visited India in December 2024. During Mr. Modi’s visit, he is expected to inaugurate a joint venture solar power plant in Sampur, Trincomalee district, a project between the Ceylon Electricity Board and India’s National Thermal Power Corporation.
This visit marks the first by a head of government to Sri Lanka since President Dissanayake’s National People’s Power coalition assumed power late last year. Mr. Modi’s visit will also see high-level engagement with other BIMSTEC leaders, including Bangladesh and Nepal, amid recent tensions in India’s relationships with those countries.
The trip comes amidst a backdrop of shifting geopolitical dynamics in the region. While a recent visit by a high-ranking Chinese official to Sri Lanka focused on cultural and educational exchange, the planned Indian solar project highlights India’s growing influence in the island nation’s energy sector. President Dissanayake has assured India that Sri Lankan territory will not be used against India’s interests. Mr. Modi has visited Sri Lanka three times since 2014, last visiting in June 2019.
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