Diplomacy takes centre stage as President meets world leaders in busy week
- AKD holds bilateral talks with Modi, Macron, Tobgay and Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in New Delhi after meeting IMF chief and British deputy premier here
- Influential Buddhist monks deliver tough message to President, urging him to discipline his MPs
By our Political Desk Suday Times LK 22-02-2026
It was a good week for the government on the international front, with high-level visitors calling on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, followed by his two-day visit to India to attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where he rubbed shoulders with several prominent world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
Prior to his departure to India on Tuesday evening, the President had several high-profile interactions on Monday and Tuesday, including with Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, who was here on a brief stop. This was followed by a meeting with International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. The meeting with the IMF representative went off particularly well, with Ms Georgieva endorsing the government’s programme to stabilise the economy. “Sri Lanka has come a long way. The government’s programme is delivering for the country & its people,” she wrote on her X handle while stressing the importance of staying the course to ensure strong and durable growth that delivers prosperity to all.
The Maha Sangha Samuluwa: Hundreds of Buddhist monks attend event seen by analysts as warning to government
Before his departure to India, the President also met with a high-level Japanese delegation—a follow-up meeting to the President’s official visit to Japan last September, during which a Memorandum of Cooperation on the proposed export-industrial corridor between Sri Lanka and Japan was signed.
The departure to India came as the President was also enjoying a diplomatic victory after he used his ‘good offices’ to facilitate the holding of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match in Colombo on Sunday. He won accolades from many quarters for the feat. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, who was in Colombo for the match, called on the President before his departure and conveyed special thanks from Pakistan’s President and Prime Minister for Sri Lanka’s intervention when Pakistan’s participation in the T20 was uncertain.
The AI summit in New Delhi gave the opportunity for President Dissanayake to hold several rounds of bilateral talks with world leaders. In his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two leaders reviewed progress in the bilateral initiatives flowing from recent high-level visits, including the state visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Sri Lanka in April 2025. The two leaders ‘underscored the shared commitment to further accelerate cooperation across the key pillars of physical, digital and energy connectivity’.
During the meeting with the Indian PM, President Dissanayake expressed his gratitude for India’s swift and unconditional support extended in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah and discussed the progress in India’s ongoing support towards reconstruction and rebuilding through the USD 450 million assistance packages. The two leaders agreed to work jointly to further advance bilateral cooperation to cater to the sustainable developmental needs of Sri Lanka and contribute to the stability of the Indian Ocean Region.
His other bilateral meeting was with French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders discussed avenues to strengthen cooperation between the nations in technology, innovation, and sustainable development. He also held talks with Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, Bhutan’s Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The President addressing the AI summit in Sinhala—simultaneously translated to several foreign languages—focused on steering Artificial Intelligence (AI) toward a future that serves all humanity. He returned to the country on Friday night buoyed by the recent successes on the international front, particularly the NPP government’s growing ties with India.
Buddhist monks’ message
While the government was upbeat about its growing international standing, on the domestic front, new challenges are emerging amidst growing anger by some sections of the Buddhist clergy against the government, unresolved trade union action by doctors and gas shortages.
A significant event that threw down a serious challenge to the government was held on Friday as a group of prominent Buddhist monks organised a ‘Maha Sangha Conference’, which they claim was being held with the aim of defeating the various ‘threats’ currently facing the Buddha Sasana, Buddhist clergy and Buddhist culture. The event was held at the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress premises in Colombo. The event drew Buddhist monks from various parts of the country, including several who have publicly accused the NPP government of following an anti-Buddhist agenda. Some of the monks present at Friday’s gathering included Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero, Ven. Kotapitiye Rahula Thero, Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka Thero and Ven. Balangoda Kassapa Thero. Organisers had also issued an open invitation to government and opposition politicians to attend Friday’s conference. Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was among those present. Other current and former MPs who were present included Buddhika Pathirana and Sarath Weerasekara.
“No other government has attacked the Buddhist clergy as much as this one,” alleged Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero, the chief organiser of the Sangha Conference, addressing the gathering. He called on President Dissanayake to rein in his MPs who were publicly attacking Buddhist monks.
At the conclusion of the Maha Sangha Conference, the Buddhist clergy adopted a 10-point ‘Sangha Charter’ to be presented to the government.
Cases of political significance
Elsewhere, legal disputes surrounding the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) show no sign of abating. The party has been torn by factional infighting for more than two years now. Yet another episode of this bitter legal dispute took place this week when MP Dayasiri Jayasekara won a legal victory as the Colombo District Court issued an injunction preventing the SLFP from suspending his party membership. The order was issued by Colombo Additional Magistrate Janaka Kekirideniya.
It was, however, only a partial victory for Mr Jayasekara, as the court refused to issue a separate injunction he had sought to prevent the party from obstructing him from functioning as the SLFP’s General Secretary. The court also refused to issue another interim injunction sought by Mr Jayasekara to prevent Nimal Siripala De Silva from functioning as SLFP Chairman and Duminda Dissanayake as SLFP General Secretary. As such, the Nimal-Duminda faction will have custody of the SLFP for the time being, as the bitter legal battle for control over the once formidable party plays out in court.
There was also legal relief for former President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, as he was released on bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court after spending 21 days in remand custody. Mr Ekanayake was arrested on allegations of aiding and abetting the misuse of over Rs. 16.2 million in state funds for what the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Department claim was a private visit undertaken by then President Ranil Wickremesinghe to the UK.
There had initially been concern from those in Mr Ekanayake’s camp that his lawyers would have to apply to the High Court to seek bail for the former president’s secretary, given that he had been charged under the Public Property Act.
In an eight-page judgement, Magistrate Neththikumara, though, ruled that if Mr Wickremesinghe, who had been charged over the misuse of state funds, had been released on bail, there was no reason to continue keeping Mr Ekanayake, who had been charged with aiding and abetting the crime, in remand. The magistrate also remarked that though remanded, Mr Wickremesinghe was admitted to hospital almost immediately, whereas Mr Ekanayake had been in remand prison for 21 days, adding that this factor too was taken into account when giving his decision to grant bail to the former president’s secretary.
Mr Wickremesinghe’s wife, Maithree Wickramasinghe, was also summoned to the CID on Friday to provide a statement over the probe into the 2023 UK visit, which the former president is alleged to have undertaken to attend the convocation ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton, where Ms Wickramasinghe was conferred an honorary professorship. However, she had informed the CID through her lawyers of her inability to come to the CID on Friday and had sought a further two weeks’ time to come and provide her statement.
Deputy Secretary General of Parliament and Chief of Staff Chaminda Kularatne also filed a writ petition in the Court of Appeal against his suspension by Parliament’s Staff Advisory Committee chaired by Speaker Jagath Wickramaratne. Speaker Wickramaratne is among 14 respondents named in the petition, along with Parliament’s Secretary General Kushani Rohanadheera, Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. Among the relief sought by Mr Kularatne is an interim order staying his suspension until the final determination of his writ petition.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva, who recently concluded a visit to India, spoke to the Sunday Times on his visit as well as on the close ties between the NPP-JVP and the Indian government.
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