Sri Lanka's new President Mahinda Rajapakse will pay a four-day State visit from December 27 during which he is expected to brief Indian leaders on the peace process with the LTTE and review the entire gamut of bilateral ties.
This is the first visit abroad by Rajapakse after assuming his new office. His decision to make India his first overseas destination was evidence of the importance accorded to bilateral relations by the government and peoples of both countries, the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
Terming Indo-Sri Lanka relations as excellent, it said there was a "very good understanding" and interaction at the political level between the two countries. It said trade and investment were expanding rapidly and the institutional framework of the relationship has been strengthened further while infrastructural linkages were being augmented and people-to people contacts intensified.
Rajapakse will meet President A P J Abdul Kalam, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat besides holding wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He will also interact with other senior politicians and a cross-section of Indian leaders in various fields.
"The whole spectrum of bilateral relations will be reviewed during the visit and ways of strengthening relations further will be discussed," it said.
Rajapakse's visit takes place close on the heels of talks held here by Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera earlier this month.
