Vice President CP Radhakrishnan arrive in Sri Lanka for 2-day visit to boost diplomatic ties

Vice President CP Radhakrishnan arrived in Colombo on Sunday for a two-day official visit, marking his first foreign trip since assuming office. The visit is being seen as a significant step in reinforcing India’s diplomatic outreach in the region under its Neighbourhood First policy.

During his stay, the Vice President is scheduled to meet President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake and hold talks with Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, along with other senior leaders including the Leader of the Opposition.

These engagements are expected to focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation and enhancing political and economic ties between the two countries.

A key highlight of the visit will be Radhakrishnan’s interaction with members of the Indian-origin Tamil community, particularly leaders from Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern regions. In Colombo, he will address the Indian diaspora and virtually hand over houses built under India’s flagship housing initiative. The project is set to reach a milestone of 50,000 completed homes, with thousands more currently under construction.

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On the second day, the Vice President will travel to Nuwara Eliya, a region known for its tea plantations and a large population of Indian-origin Tamils.

There, he will visit housing project sites, engage with local communities, and review progress under Phase III of the housing programme, which includes 4,000 completed units and 10,000 more underway. He is also expected to visit the Seetha Amman Temple.

In a post on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Vice President of India CP Radhakrishnan arrived in Colombo as part of a two-day visit to Sri Lanka. This is the first official bilateral visit by an Indian Vice President to Sri Lanka. The visit will strengthen the civilisational ties between and and reinforce the strong people-to-people connection."