The President of Lanka India Business Association (LIBA), Santosh Menon has termed India Sri Lanka ties currently at its best phase, a comment that comes days after PM Modi's visit to the country that saw a slew of announcements in a range of areas from defence to energy. 

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"I think the relationship is probably at its best in the last three to four decades. PM Narendra Modi's visit was definitely a highlight", he said, adding, "I think the kind of chemistry that was exhibited between the Prime Minister of India and the President of Sri Lanka showed that the relationship is headed for something bigger and better. Next few weeks, the next few months, will actually demonstrate that this relationship has come of age." India is Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner globally and also a major source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

The Lanka India Business Association (LIBA) aims to strengthen economic and commercial ties between Indian and Sri Lankan businesses. Headquartered in Colombo, it seeks to increase closer business relationships, facilitate foreign direct investment (FDI) from India into Sri Lanka, and support Sri Lankan businesses in expanding into the Indian market. 

Santosh Menon, is an Indian national, but has been staying in the country for 2 decades now. Menon describes his dual identity with warmth: “You always say you can take an Indian out of India, if you can't take an India out of an Indian. So to that extent, I do have a connection with my Janmabhoomi, I do feel for India. But equally, I think, given the fact that I've been here for 20 years, I always say to my friends, my passport is Indian, but my heart is Sri Lankan. I love this country, and I think whatever I can do to help India, Sri Lanka relationships, I try my best to do?

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The country recently hosted the first edition of Sri Lanka–India Media Friendship Association. Menon termed this as a chance to strengthen ties through shared learning and engagement between the journalists. “Both countries are vibrant democracies with wonderful, vibrant media,” he noted. The festival explored how technology is transforming journalism, focusing on how dialogue on navigating these changes. “The intent is to foster closer engagement,” Menon said, highlighting the potential for Indian and Sri Lankan media to inspire each other.

Menon also reflected on a recent Pahalgam terror attack in India, which elicited widespread condolence from Sri Lankans. “ I think everybody is shocked by the cruel and absolutely criminal nature of that attack. Sri Lankan people texted to me in large numbers, I've got many texts, many calls, expressing their anguish, expressing their condemnation, and expressing their sorrow. So I think it's a universally condemned act", he said. The attacked killed over 20 people, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the worst such attack on civilians in India since 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.