Rajnath Singh holds talks with Sri Lankan President, reaffirms commitment to regional security - Firstpost

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, met President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo on Wednesday, reaffirming India and Sri Lanka’s commitment to cooperation on development, security, peace and regional prosperity. Singh said he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to Dissanayake and congratulated him on the completion of two years of his government. Sharing details of the meeting in a post on X, he described the engagement as highly productive. "Today, in Colombo, I held a highly productive meeting with His Excellency Anura Kumara Dissanayake, President of Sri Lanka. I shared with him the greetings of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and extended our congratulations on the completion of two years of his government. As civilized twins, close neighbors, and maritime partners, India and Sri Lanka have reaffirmed our commitment to continue working together for the development of our countries and the well-being of our people. Likewise, we have reaffirmed our resolve to work together for the security, safety, peace, and prosperity of our region." Singh highlights India’s economic transformation During his engagements on Tuesday, Singh also addressed the Indian community in Sri Lanka, where he outlined India’s economic and development gains under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership over the past decade. Delighted to interact with the Indian community in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Indian diaspora plays a crucial role in strengthening friendship between India and Sri Lanka. The Indian community is the ‘Sethu’ between India and Sri Lanka. India will always stand firmly with Sri Lanka… pic.twitter.com/AAibIiqySx — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 8, 2026 He said India had concluded free trade agreements with 38 nations, contrasting this with the four comprehensive trade agreements signed by the previous UPA government before 2014. Singh highlighted the free trade agreement between India and the European Union, calling it the "mother of all deals" in the international arena and saying it opens access to the EU market of about 27 trillion dollars. He said the agreement demonstrated PM Modi’s leadership as well as India’s diplomatic and economic capability. He also noted that India’s free trade agreement with the United Kingdom had been implemented. Exports, manufacturing and defence sector expand Singh said India remains among the fastest-growing major economies globally and contributes more than 16 per cent to global growth. He said the economy had doubled from $2 trillion in 2014 to approximately $4 trillion over the past decade, while growth stood at 7.8 per cent in the first quarter of Financial Year 2026-27 despite global economic challenges. Average inflation, he said, remained at approximately 4.7 per cent over the last 12 years, compared with 10-11 per cent previously. The Defence Minister also pointed to the expansion of goods and services exports, whose value rose from Rs 45 lakh crore in 2014 to Rs 79 lakh crore in FY 2025-26. Electronic goods production increased from Rs 1.9 lakh crore to more than Rs 11 lakh crore, while exports rose by 700 per cent to more than Rs 3 lakh crore. India also became the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer, with production units increasing from two to over 300. Mobile manufacturing reached Rs 5.5 lakh crore and exports rose nearly 163 times to Rs 2.6 lakh crore. Automobile exports, meanwhile, reached Rs 1.20 lakh crore annually. Singh said India’s defence exports had reached an all-time high of approximately Rs 39,000 crore, up from Rs 600 crore 12 years ago. The defence budget also increased from roughly Rs 2 lakh crore in FY 2013-14 to Rs 7.25 lakh crore in FY 2025-26, which he presented as part of India’s move towards an Aatmanirbhar defence sector. He further noted that India has the world’s third-largest start-up ecosystem, with the number of unicorns rising rapidly.