President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to Colombo this evening after a highly successful 4-day state visit to India.

The President held a series of discussions with Indian leaders including President Prathibha Devisingh Patil, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Congress Leader Sonia Gandhi, Opposition Leader Sushma Swaraj and a group of Lok Sabha M Ps from Tamil Nadu during the visit.

Seven Indo-Sri Lanka bilateral agreements covering different sectors were signed during the visit. President Rajapaksa said yesterday that the seven agreements signed by India and Sri Lanka would help to strengthen the bilateral ties, both cultural and economic between the two countries.

Speaking to journalists in Shimla on Thursday, President Rajapaksa said that “This is good for both the countries,” referring to the seven agreements, and the joint declaration he issued with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

President Rajapaksa, along with First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, visited Shimla after on Thursday for a two-day tour.