Vineeta Rao
Auckland, April 6, 2025
In a demonstration of the close ties between India and Sri Lanka, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake conferred the country’s highest civilian honour of ‘Mithra Vibhushana’ on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Colombo on April 5, 2025.
Mr Modi is on a three-day State visit to Sri Lanka after attending the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Summit in Thailand.
“I am pleased to announce that the Government of Sri Lanka has decided to confer upon him (PM Narendra Modi) the highest Sri Lanka honour- Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushana. Mr Modi highly deserves this honour; that is what we firmly believe,” Mr Dissanayake said.
Mr Modi responded in the same spirit and said it was ‘a matter of pride’ for him.
“Today, to be honoured with the Sri Lanka Mitra Vibhushan award by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake – it is not an honour to me but to 140 crore (1400 million) Indians. It shows the historical relation and deep friendship between the people of Sri Lanka and India, and for this, I thank the President, the government of Sri Lanka, and the people here,” he tweeted.
About the Mithra Vibhushana Award
“Mithra’ means friend in many South Asian languages, while ‘Vibhushana’ translates to ‘Excellence’ among other meanings. The Mithra Vibhushana was instituted in 2008 by then-president Mahinda Rajapaksha to recognise extraordinary global friendships.
There have been only three previous recipients of this award – Former President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, and Palestinian Liberation Organisation Leader the late Yasser Arafat.
The Award bears the shared Buddhist heritage between India and Sri Lanka, represented by the Dharma Chakra. The ‘Pun Kalasa’ or Ceremonial Pot at the centre of the Medal is adorned by sheaves of rice, signifying prosperity and renewal.
The nine ‘Navaratna’ gems symbolise the enduring friendship, depicted by the lotus petals encircling the globe. The Sun and the Moon encapsulate a timelessness that will perpetuate the friendship for all eternity.
The bilateral talks between India and Sri Lanka appear to have been fruitful, despite the growing Chinese footprint in the Indian ocean, as both countries signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence, in addition to six other MoUs and Agreements.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said that the two leaders agreed that the security interests of India and Sri Lanka are interlinked and that Mr Dissanayake assured Mr Modi that Sri Lanka would not allow its land, oceans and seas to launch attacks on India’s security interests or impact regional stability.
Additional financial relief
Mr Modi announced a new debt restructuring agreement to provide immediate relief and assistance to the Lankan nation. This includes reduced loan rates.
This was in addition to a package of $14.45 million to support the social and economic development of the Eastern provinces. India had earlier given about $24 million to help Sri Lanka recover from a fuel and food crisis.
Vineeta Rao is an Indian Newslink Reporter based in Auckland.
