Sri Lankan envoy outlines six priorities for strengthening ties with India

New Delhi, August 23. Sri Lankan High Commissioner to India Mahishini Colonne has outlined six priorities for deepening India-Sri Lanka relations, calling for greater mutual trust, connectivity, maritime security cooperation and people-to-people engagement.

Colonne made the remarks while addressing the 66th Course of India’s National Defence College (NDC) on the theme ‘India-Sri Lanka Bilateral Relations: Determinants, Status, Opportunities, Challenges and the Way Forward’ on August 18.

The session was attended by 122 senior officers from India’s armed forces, civil services, police and other government institutions, as well as 41 officers from foreign countries, including Sri Lanka. Colonne had also addressed the NDC’s 65th Course in August 2025.

Drawing on the NDC’s motto, ‘Wisdom is Strength’, the High Commissioner examined the bilateral relationship through the lenses of history, geography, sovereignty, security, economics, connectivity and people-to-people relations.

She highlighted the civilisational links between the two countries while acknowledging the complexities that have marked their modern relationship.

Colonne pointed to the recent momentum in bilateral engagement, including Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Disanayaka’s state visit to India in December 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka in April 2025 and the first bilateral visit to Sri Lanka by an Indian Vice President in April 2026.

She also referred to India’s humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka following Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025 through Operation Sagar Bandhu, describing such cooperation as an important element of the bilateral relationship.

On security issues, Colonne stressed the interdependence between India and Sri Lanka, while reaffirming Sri Lanka’s position that its territory would not be used in ways that threaten India’s security interests.

At the same time, she underlined the importance of respecting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and strategic autonomy.

The High Commissioner also recalled India’s extensive assistance to Sri Lanka during the country’s 2022 economic crisis. She highlighted India’s emergency support and its role as the first bilateral creditor to provide financing assurances for Sri Lanka’s International Monetary Fund programme, arguing that the assistance contributed not only to Sri Lanka’s recovery but also to wider regional stability.

Addressing the inherent size and power asymmetry between the two neighbours, Colonne argued that such differences need not translate into domination or vulnerability. She characterised the relationship as “a partnership between unequal states, but not between unequal interests”, stressing that both countries share fundamental interests in peace, security, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean.

The discussion also covered the broadening areas of bilateral cooperation, including trade and investment, connectivity, energy, defence and security, maritime cooperation, digital connectivity and the Colombo Security Conclave.

Colonne also highlighted public goodwill as an important strategic asset in bilateral relations. She cited a Pew Research Centre survey published on August 13, 2026, which found that 79 percent of Sri Lankans expressed a favourable view of India, the highest favourable rating for India among the 36 countries surveyed.

Looking ahead, the High Commissioner identified six priorities for strengthening the partnership: building mutual trust; promoting shared prosperity; accelerating connectivity; developing an integrated maritime security partnership; investing in people; and exploring areas where India and Sri Lanka can jointly contribute to the wider Indian Ocean region.

Following her address, Colonne participated in an interactive question-and-answer session with NDC course participants.

She subsequently addressed a delegation of NDC officers scheduled to undertake a study tour of Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 2, 2026.

Established in 1960, the National Defence College is India’s apex institution for the study of national security and strategy. Its 47-week programme brings together senior officers from India’s armed forces and civil services, alongside officers from friendly foreign countries, to examine national and international security issues.

Sri Lanka has been sending senior military officers and government officials to the NDC for more than five decades, reflecting the longstanding defence and strategic dimension of India-Sri Lanka relations.