By Sahil Pandey

Colombo [Sri Lanka], April 6 (ANI): Sri Lanka's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arun Hemachandra, on Saturday said that the Mitra Vibhushana award conferred upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi marks a significant milestone in the bilateral ties between India and Sri Lanka.

'We look at it (Mitra Vibhushana award to PM Modi) as a very important milestone in between the historic and the diplomatic contacts that we have, the connectivity that we have. The new government is actually committed to work very closely with India,' Hemachandra told ANI.

He added that Sri Lanka received a warm welcome during the President's recent visit to India, and emphasized the growing support from India.

'The assistance Sri Lanka receives from India is not only exponential but also immensely valuable. We are confident that this cooperation will continue to strengthen in the future.'

Discussing the broader relationship, the Deputy Foreign Minister praised India's consistent support during times of crisis and said, 'When Sri Lanka is having some kind of a problem, India's neighborhood first policy has been always helpful for the citizens of this country and on behalf of the people of Sri Lanka, we have to thank India for maintaining that policy.'

Concluding his remarks, Hemachandra expressed optimism about the future of bilateral relations.

'As Prime Minister Modi mentioned today, India and Sri Lanka will continue to enhance their engagements. We expect to see more treaties and increased coordination between these two great nations, and we eagerly look forward to that,' Hemchandra noted.

Notably, PM Modi expressed gratitude to Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the government and the people of Sri Lanka for honouring him with the 'Mitra Vibhushana.'

He said that the honour demonstrated the deep-rooted friendship and historical ties between the people of the two nations.

In a post on X, PM Modi stated, 'It is a matter of immense pride for me to be conferred the 'Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana' by President Dissanayake today. This honour is not mine alone - it is a tribute to the 1.4 billion people of India. It symbolises the deep-rooted friendship and historic ties between the people of India and Sri Lanka. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the President, the Government and the people of Sri Lanka for this honour.'

PM Modi's arrival in Colombo on Friday marked his first visit to Sri Lanka since 2019. He reached Colombo after concluding his visit to Thailand, where he attended the BIMSTEC Summit and held bilateral talks with several world leaders, including Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay, Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli and Bangladesh's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. (ANI)