COLOMBO (TIP): India and Sri Lanka on March 13 signed four bilateral pacts — agreement on visa, customs, youth development and building Rabindranath Tagore memorial — during Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s first tour to the island country.

Modi’s visit to Sri Lanka is the first stand alone bilateral tour by an Indian Prime Minister since 1987.

“I am delighted to be in Sri Lanka,” PM Naredra Modi said.

“India is ready to help Trincomalee become a petroleum hub,” PM Narendra Modi said at the joint press meet with Lankan President M Sirisena.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that fishermen’s issue between India and Sri Lanka has both livelihood and humanitarian dimensions and it will take some time to reach an amicable solution on this.

“We will cooperate in developing a Ramayana trail in Sri Lanka and a Buddhist Circuit in India,” Modi said.

“Our trade has seen impressive growth over the past decade,” the PM said.

PM Modi also said that India will extend visa-on-arrival to Lankan citizens.

The PM said that he was eagerly looking forward to early commencement in the Sampur coal power project in Sri Lanka.