Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said the visit “will contribute to further strengthening the close and cooperative relations between India and Sri Lanka.”

On Friday, Mr. Modi will host a dinner for Mr. Sirisena, who last visited India in February 2015, shortly after taking over.

At the time, his visit had heralded a new chapter in India-Sri Lanka ties, coming after a period of strain under the former President Rajapaksa. The two sides had signed a slew of agreements, and committed to resolving issues over fisherman’s rights as well as concluding a free trade agreement (now called ETCA) that has been pending for years.

However, there has been little movement on both issues in the past year, and the two leaders would discuss them during the bilateral meeting.

Power plant in Sri Lanka

Officials told The Hindu the Mr. Modi and Mr. Sirisena would also discuss the stalled 500 MW coal-fired power plant at Sampur in Eastern Sri Lanka, that India plans to set up.

The plant has faced protests from the local population, backed by the Tamil National Alliance ruling in the North and Eastern Provinces.

(T. Ramakrishnan – thehindu.com)