India and Sri Lanka on Saturday agreed to beef up cooperation on defense, energy and other sectors during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nation, where New Delhi and Beijing compete for influence.
India has stood by the people of Sri Lanka in “every tough situation,” including a 2019 militant attack, the COVID-19 pandemic and its recent economic crisis, Modi said in a joint media briefing with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake after a meeting between the two leaders.
