The Indian Defence Ministry in a statement issued yesterday (09) quoted President Anura Kumara Dissanayake as having assured visiting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that Sri Lanka would never allow its territory to be used for activities inimical to India’s security interests.

The text of the Indian press release: “Visiting Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo on September 09, 2026. The two leaders held substantive discussions on issues covering the entire spectrum of the multi-faceted partnership between the two nations, characterised by traditionally warm relations and mutual trust.

The two sides reaffirmed that as civilisational twins, close neighbours and maritime partners, India and Sri Lanka would continue to work together for their development and welfare of the people while working jointly to ensure the safety, security, peace and prosperity of the region. The senior Indian Minister conveyed greetings on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and underlined that the citizens of the two countries share deep friendship based on strong historical & civilisational links and people-to-people exchanges.

Extending a warm welcome to Mr. Singh, President Dissanayake recalled his interactions with PM Modi and reiterated that Sri Lanka would never allow its territory to be used for any activities inimical to India’s security interests.

President Dissanayake expressed his gratitude for the relief assistance provided by India as part of Operation Sagar Bandhu during Cyclone Ditwah and the comprehensive rehabilitation package extended by New Delhi to facilitate reconstruction and rehabilitation work across different parts of the island. The powerful Indian Defence Minister emphasised that as a closest friend and neighbour of Sri Lanka, India considered it not a favour, but a responsibility to provide assistance as the first responder and would continue to do so in the future as well.

Both leaders virtually inaugurated three Bailey Bridges constructed by the Indian Defence Forces. The two sides also exchanged MoUs on upgradation of L70 Guns for the Sri Lankan Air Force, and cooperation between National Cadet Corps (NCC) & National Defence Colleges (NDC) of both the countries. The MoU on Upgradation of six L70 guns for the Sri Lankan Air Force falls under a Government of India grant. The upgradation of these air defence guns will significantly strengthen the air defence architecture of critical assets in Sri Lanka. These air defence guns were earlier provided to the Sri Lanka Air Force by India.

The MoU on academic cooperation between NDC, India and NDC, Sri Lanka will facilitate knowledge sharing which will be a significant step in further strengthening the academic bonds between both the sister institutes. The MoU on NCC cooperation will formalise the NCC youth exchange programme between India and Sri Lanka. This exchange programme provides a valuable opportunity for NCC cadets from multiple countries across the world to come to New Delhi every year and participate in NCC events.”

Mass grave excavations in Sri Lanka are a stark reminder that thousands of cases of enforced disappearance remain unresolved, the Sri Lanka Core Group has told the UN Human Rights Council, urging Colombo to translate its stated commitment to reform into concrete progress, while again stopping short of calling for the international accountability that Tamils have long demanded.

The statement, delivered in Geneva, on Tuesday (08), during the Council’s 63rd session by the United Kingdom’s Human Rights Ambassador Eleanor Sanders on behalf of Canada, Malawi, Montenegro, North Macedonia and the UK, welcomed, what it called, the High Commissioner’s balanced assessment of the human rights situation on the island.

The group acknowledged that Sri Lanka had faced considerable challenges recently, including severe weather events and global energy shocks, and welcomed positive developments, including the ratification of the ILO Convention 190 and engagement on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“However, much further action is needed to build confidence in accountability and reconciliation efforts,” Sanders said. “Progress in several emblematic cases has not yet been accompanied by a comprehensive,

victim-centred accountability process to address past violations. Mass grave excavations are a stark reminder that thousands of cases of enforced disappearances remain unresolved. And reports of intimidation, harassment, and restrictions affecting civil society, journalists and victims’ groups, including in the North and East, still raise concerns.”

The group urged progress on democratic governance, including advancing legal and institutional reforms, resolving land-related issues, ensuring respect for human rights in detention institutions and strengthening independent institutions.

The statement follows a familiar pattern. In June, the group acknowledged “developments in certain mass grave investigations” and urged that excavations meet international standards, and in March it called for the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. At the 58th session it welcomed a series of measures Tamils regarded as superficial. Neither this statement, nor its predecessors, names Chemmani, calls for international oversight of the excavation, or addresses the demand for a referral to the International Criminal Court.

Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Santosh Jha has said that security and defence were significant aspects in the Indo-Lanka partnership.

Speaking to ANI in Colombo in the wake of Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit, Jha said: “If you look at the last 2-3 years, the engagement between India and Sri Lanka has acquired a new intensity. There is a regular exchange of ministerial-level visits from India to Sri Lanka and from Sri Lanka to India. We need to see this as part of that. As you know, we have several different aspects of our partnership. Security and defense are very significant aspects of that. The visit of the Defence Minister is in the context that we will be taking forward some of the ongoing initiatives. We’ll exchange notes on how far we have come so far on various defense cooperation issues. I must also request that people see it in the larger context. He’s a very senior leader from India, a person who has been at the helm for many years, and so we are looking at this as part of the larger political-level exchanges between India and Sri Lanka.”

Building upon this strategic framework, the Indian High Commissioner underscored the sweeping, multi-sectoral scale of bilateral cooperation extending far beyond security ties. HC Jha added: “We have a large developing partnership. When the Indian Prime Minister was here, we had a number of MoUs signed between India and Sri Lanka. He had also described our relationship as very expansive and across several sectors, like connectivity, energy, development, security, and defence, there are people-to-people exchanges. There is a population-level scale rollout of a unique digital identity platform that will be happening in Sri Lanka very soon. So there is this entire spectrum of relationships that is growing a bit by bit. Of course, it can’t be a dramatic growth suddenly, but one by one, we are handling these issues, and they are developing…”

Commenting further on the robust economic and commercial dimensions driving this evolving partnership, Jha pointed to surging trade, investment inflows, and tourism metrics that anchor bilateral prosperity.

Jha said: “India is now once again the largest trade partner of Sri Lanka, and more importantly, India has become the second largest destination for Sri Lankan exports. Which, if you would recall, is the original intent of the free trade agreement that India and Sri Lanka signed, because the idea is that there should be greater access for our neighbours to the Indian market, and they should benefit through access to the Indian market, and that was the intent of the free trade agreement. This is really showing up in figures as well. India is also the largest source of investment in Sri Lanka. In 2025, more than 50% of the investment into Sri Lanka came from India, including those that came from Indian companies in third countries. But I would regard them as investments from India because they’re coming from Indian companies, and India has always been the biggest source of tourism traffic, which is a major source of prosperity in Sri Lanka.” Aligning with these extensive diplomatic exchanges, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh touched down in Colombo today to commence a three-day official visit centred on augmenting bilateral maritime and security cooperation.