Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept into Sri Lanka’s capital Friday evening, April 4, 2025.

He was greeted by a roaring welcome and a heavyweight lineup of five top ministers—including Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa, and Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar—at Bandaranaike Airport. Kicking off a three-day visit, Modi’s trip promises a haul of at least 10 game-changing outcomes from Saturday’s talks with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, spanning defence, energy, and digital frontiers.

Fresh from Thailand, Modi—the first foreign leader hosted by Dissanayake since his September swearing-in—hit the ground running. “Landed in Colombo. Grateful to the ministers and dignitaries who welcomed me,” he posted on social media, as Indian-origin locals cheered him at Taj Samudra hotel. Saturday’s agenda is stacked: one-on-one and delegation-level powwows with Dissanayake are set to birth a landmark defence cooperation MoU, burying the ghost of India’s 1980s IPKF pullout, plus pacts to juice up energy ties and digital links.

Sri Lanka’s rebound from its 2022 economic meltdown—propped up by India’s $4.5 billion lifeline—frames this visit. Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha called that aid “unprecedented,” noting India’s lead in debt restructuring and IMF backing. Post-talks, expect announcements on debt relief, currency swaps, and the virtual launch of the Sampur solar project—a milestone, says Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. Modi’s itinerary also includes a wreath-laying at the IPKF memorial and a jaunt to Anuradhapura with Dissanayake on April 6 to honor the Mahabodhi temple and unveil two India-backed projects.

With Sri Lanka as India’s closest maritime neighbor, Jha underscored the shared stakes: “We have a future together.” Last here in 2019, Modi’s fourth visit signals a turbocharge to ties—think defence resets and power grids—amid a recovering Colombo eager to flex its economic muscle. Saturday’s talks could redraw the Indo-Lankan map, and the world’s watching.