His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed have arrived in Sri Lanka on a State Visit.
Upon arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), the President and First Lady were received by the Honourable Dr Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
A welcome ceremony was held in their honour, featuring a performance by a local cultural troupe. The President subsequently signed the official guest book.
The State Visit is taking place at the invitation of His Excellency Anura Kumara Disanayaka, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and runs from the 3rd to the 6th of May 2026.
According to the President’s Office, the visit will also include the President’s participation in the Maldives-Sri Lanka Business Forum, as well as a meeting with members of the Maldivian community living in Sri Lanka.
The President’s Office further confirmed that the President, who will be in Sri Lanka until Wednesday, is being accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, along with several government ministers and senior officials.
Notably, the President of Sri Lanka paid an official visit to the Maldives in July last year. During that visit, the Maldives announced its decision to grant Sri Lankan citizens a three-month visa on arrival when travelling to the country.
Sri Lanka and the Maldives share one of the oldest bilateral relationships in the region. Formal diplomatic ties were established on the 26th of July 1965, meaning the two countries will mark 61 years of diplomatic relations this year. The two nations have long maintained close cooperation across trade, education, healthcare and security, with Sri Lanka serving as a key transit hub for Maldivian students, patients and travellers for decades. Generations of Maldivians have pursued higher education in Sri Lankan institutions, while Sri Lankan professionals have contributed significantly to the Maldivian workforce, particularly in education and the medical sector.
Diplomatic exchanges between the two countries have remained consistent over the years. The Maldives maintains a High Commission in Colombo, one of its earliest overseas missions, and Sri Lanka similarly operates a High Commission in Malé. High-level visits have occurred regularly, reinforcing partnerships on regional security, maritime cooperation and economic development within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework.
President Muizzu’s visit is expected to further strengthen these enduring ties and open new avenues for collaboration between Malé and Colombo.
