Colombo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Friday evening on a three-day visit to explore ways to bolster overall bilateral ties, especially in areas of energy, trade, connectivity, digitalisation and defence.

In a special welcome, five top ministers, including Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa and Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar received Modi at the airport. The Prime Minister landed in the Sri Lankan capital after concluding his trip to Bangkok where he attended a summit of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).

Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Saturday. Following the meeting, India and Sri Lanka are expected to come out with around 10 outcomes including boosting cooperation in areas of defence, energy security and digitalisation. “We will have the opportunity to review progress made on the joint vision of 'Fostering Partnerships for a Shared Future' and provide further guidance to realise our shared objectives,” Modi said on Thursday in a statement before embarking on the two-nation tour.

The joint vision was adopted during the Sri Lankan president's visit to New Delhi three months back. An agreement on defence cooperation is likely to be among seven pacts expected to be finalised besides three more outcomes, people familiar with the matter said. If signed, the MoU on defence cooperation is set to signal a major upward trajectory in India-Sri Lanka defence leaving behind the bitter chapter relating to India pulling out the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) from the island nation around 35 years ago.