India-Sri Lanka oil pipeline discussed during VP Radhakrishnan's meeting with Dissanayake FS

     Colombo, Apr 19 (PTI) Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday discussed the proposed link between India and the island nation through an oil pipeline, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said here.
     Radhakrishnan and Dissanayake also had productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted bilateral ties, housing projects and fishermen issues between the two South Asian neighbours.
     “Some initiatives that are underway from the Indian side and some proposals that have already been discussed between the two countries, notable amongst them, 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,” Misri told reporters here after Radhakrishnan's first day of the visit.
     Radhakrishnan’s visit is the first ever by an Indian vice president to Sri Lanka, he said.
     “The president underlined the very strong bond, civilizational bond, between the two countries. He referred on more than one occasion to the difference that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Neighborhood First' policy has made in strengthening relations between India and Sri Lanka,” Misri said.
     He also highlighted India's first responder role, first in recent years, first during the economic crisis faced by Sri Lanka in 2022 and then more recently, after Cyclone Ditwah in November-December of 2025 and also referred to the assistance that India is providing at this moment as Sri Lanka deals with the fallout of the West Asia crisis, Misri said.
     The vice president, who arrived here earlier in the day on a two-day visit, also discussed with Dissanayake the ongoing Indian project implementation in Sri Lanka with emphasis on the USD 450 million Cyclone Ditwah aid offered by India.
     Apart from the Sri Lankan president, Radhakrishnan also met Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dr Harini Amarasuriya and Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa.
     During his meeting with Dissanayake, Radhakrishnan laid emphasis on India’s 'Neighbourhood First' policy and developmental bilateral cooperation, officials said.
     “Both leaders held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India–Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history, strong civilizational and people-to-people linkages,” according to a social media post by Radhakrishnan.
     They held wide-ranging discussions on various initiatives, including the Indian housing project and projects being implemented under the USD 450 million package for areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, including reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the most affected regions of the Indian-origin Tamil community, it added.
     The two sides also discussed fishermen issues in a humanitarian manner, considering the livelihoods of fishing communities on both sides.
     Prime Minister Amarasuriya hosted a luncheon meeting for the vice president at her official residence, during which both leaders “shared the civilisational heritage of the two countries” and discussed the importance of further strengthening bilateral ties, including people-to-people bonds.
     When Opposition leader Premadasa called on Radhakrishnan, both leaders discussed further strengthening India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties.
     “Sri Lanka and India are not just neighbours, we are true partners with shared history, shared challenges, and a shared future. It is time we move with greater ambition, intent and trust, to reap the benefits of this partnership for all citizens,” Premadasa said in a social media post.
     The vice president also met leaders of Sri Lankan Tamil parties and Indian Origin Tamil parties.
     The Tamil parties thanked the Government of India for its efforts for the USD 450 million rehabilitation and relief package post Cyclone Ditwah, as well as other relief measures taken.
     A number of memoranda of understanding between the two countries are also scheduled to be exchanged during the visit, a Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry release said.
     The India Foreign Secretary also stated that the digital ID project and the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) were also deliberated during Radhakrishnan’s visit to Sri Lanka, a local media report said.
     Later in the day, the vice president also participated in a community reception organised by the Indian diaspora here during which he virtually handed over houses to beneficiaries from Tamil communities, built with assistance from the Indian government as part of the third phase of the Indian Housing Project.
     With this, the total number of houses for Tamil communities will reach 50,000, and 10,000 more houses are being built in the fourth phase of the project, an official statement said.
     During his speech, Radhakrishnan, who spoke in Tamil, greeted people on the occasion of new year and said, the Tamil new year and the Sinhala new year celebrated on the same day four days ago pointed towards the ancient civilisational ties between the two communities.
     Radhakrishnan also visited the Gangaramaya Temple and then visited the New Kathiresan Temple in the Sri Lankan capital. He was warmly welcomed with traditional Tamil music and dance.
     On Monday, the vice president will travel to Nuwara Eliya, visit the Indian Housing Projects, and interact with the local Tamil community.
     Accompanied by a 49-member delegation, the vice president was earlier received at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo by Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage and several other dignitaries.
     This visit, which follows recent high-level engagements between the two countries, is expected to further strengthen the millennia-old civilisational and people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka, an official statement said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)