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Building on a foundation of civilizational ties and humanitarian aid, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has formally requested India's assistance to overhaul the island nation's digital infrastructure.
During a high-level meeting with visiting Vice President CP Radhakrishnan on Sunday, President Dissanayake lauded India's existing capacity-building programs and expressed a keen interest in replicating that success within the Information Technology (IT) and digital sectors. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, briefing the media in Colombo, noted that the President's request follows his recent visit to New Delhi for the AI Impact Summit 2026. Dissanayake suggested that Indian expertise in digital technology and AI would be "enormously beneficial," helping Sri Lanka unlock new economic opportunities in the global digital economy. "President Dissanayake referring to his recent visit to India for the AI Impact Summit made the point that this kind of assistance if provided in the digital technology, IT sector would be enormously beneficial to Sri Lanka and allow the country to explore new opportunities in the booming and ever growing digital sector and the Vice-President undertook to have this proposal examined by authorities back in India". Vice President Radhakrishnan undertook to have the proposal examined by Indian authorities, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "growing and going together" with neighbours. During the press briefing, Misri also noted that the Sri Lankan President also referred in this context to India's investments in various sectors in Sri Lanka, especially ports, and also the discussions that are now underway on several projects. He further elaborated on the Trincomalee energy hub, cross-border oil pipeline, and digital and physical connectivity. Misri said, "The Vice President mentioned, as I said, some initiatives that are underway from the Indian side and some proposals that have already been discussed between the two countries. Notably, the project related to the energy hub in Trincomalee and the proposal to link India and Sri Lanka through an oil pipeline. And in fact, the point was made as to the value of such energy connectivity, especially at a time like now, when the entire world and this region, especially, is facing the fallout of an energy crisis generated by the situation in West Asia." Vice President CP Radhakrishnan, who is on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, met the country's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Premadasa. Discussions were held on deepening the bilateral partnership, along with strengthening the people-to-people ties between the countries. He also met leaders of the Tamil community in the Northern and Eastern Provinces of Sri Lanka and leaders of Indian-origin Tamils met today in Colombo with the Vice President, the MEA noted. (ANI)
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