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During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to Colombo in April 2025, India and Sri Lanka signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation—an agreement that both governments say is rooted in shared security interests and mutual trust.
What the agreement includes
The MoU itself, while not publicly disclosed in full, is described as an umbrella framework aimed at enhancing and institutionalising bilateral defence cooperation, lasting 5 years.
Misri stated that it “will make existing defence cooperation initiatives more structured,” and will include:
• High-level military exchanges
• Joint exercises
• Capacity building
• Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations
• Naval port calls
• Exploratory discussions on defence industry cooperation
He added that the MoU “signifies their shared commitment to regional security and stability.”
Among the defence-related initiatives is an increased number of naval engagements and exchanges between the two countries’ armed forces. These moves have been presented as part of ensuring maritime security and safeguarding sea lanes in the region.
A ‘shared security’ pact
Addressing a press conference in Colombo, Prime Minister Modi declared, “We believe that we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is interconnected and co-dependent.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri further elaborated on the strategic rationale underpinning the agreement, stating:
“I think this proceeds from the fact that we have had very good conversations between the two leaders. They started in December last year when President Dissanayake visited Delhi, and it continued during this visit, and one of the recurring themes in the discussions and in fact, I would say a point of really close convergence in the narratives from both sides has been a recognition of the completely interlinked nature of the national security of Sri Lanka and India.”
“And the President of Sri Lanka has both during his visit to Delhi and on this occasion and on several other occasions mentioned and stated very, very clearly that Sri Lankan territory will not be used or be allowed to be used in any manner that is inimical or detrimental to India's interests.”
“In fact, if I recall correctly during discussions today, he said that neither Sri Lanka's land nor the oceans around it will be allowed to be used in any manner inimical to India's security.”
“So, this is the background of the signature of the defense MOU between the two countries for the first time, and the MOU is in itself an umbrella framework document that will make existing defense cooperation initiatives more structured.”
“There will be activities related to, of course, the continuing and even intensifying the tradition of high-level visits between the two countries, more joint exercises, capacity building in various areas, exchanges in HADR related operations, increasing port calls by naval units of both countries, and also to explore defense industry cooperation between the two sides.”
Modi himself said,
“We believe that we have shared security interests. The security of both countries is interconnected and co-dependent.
I am grateful to President Disanayaka for his sensitivity towards India’s interests. We welcome the important agreements made in the area of Defence Cooperation. We have also agreed to work together on the Colombo Security Conclave and Security Cooperation in the Indian Ocean.”
“I am grateful to President Disanayaka for his sensitivity towards India’s interests,” he added. “We welcome the important agreements made in the area of Defence Cooperation.”
Sri Lankan response
Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Sampath Thuyacontha said the MoU was initially built on the Defence Dialogue held in 2023. Approval of Sri Lanka’s cabinet was also reportedly given prior to signing.
Thuyacontha claimed both parties will be "respecting each other's military and national laws, as well as the principles and purposes of the UN Charter—including sovereign equality and non-intervention in internal affairs."
Though the agreement will be in force for five years, either party can terminate it with three months’ notice.
“India annually trains around 750 Sri Lankan military personnel,” said Thuyacontha. “This defence partnership continues to be an invaluable asset.”
Historical backdrop
The new agreement comes nearly four decades after the 1987 Indo–Sri Lanka Accord, which also dealt with security cooperation—but in a dramatically different context. That earlier agreement led to the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in the North-East, resulting in a bloody and controversial intervention that saw thousands of Tamils killed. India’s military role in the Tamil homeland continues to evoke strong memories, particularly given the IPKF’s involvement in human rights violations.
Now, under a new government led by Dissanayake—who rose to power promising reconciliation, accountability and constitutional reform—the revival and deepening of military ties with India has sparked renewed controversy.
Dissanayake’s party staged a bloody insurrection in 1987 against the presence of Indian troops on the island, which led to the deaths of tends of thousands of Sinhalese in the South. The party, and the current president himself, had been historically anti-Indian.
India has framed the defence pact as part of its broader “Neighbourhood First” policy and “Vision MAHASAGAR,” both designed to counterbalance the growing influence of China in the Indian Ocean region.
The Indian government’s renewed strategic partnership with Sri Lanka includes a series of other agreements signed during Modi’s visit, covering energy, digital infrastructure, and development projects—many of which are centred in the Tamil-majority North-East.
