The discussions were conducted virtually between June 29 and July 7, 2026. India’s delegation was led by Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce and the country’s chief negotiator for the agreement. The Maldivian team was headed by Chief Negotiator Yusuf Riza.
Both governments completed their domestic ratification and implementation procedures ahead of the July 15 rollout. The agreement was concluded on May 6, 2025, following 14 rounds of negotiations and formally signed in London on July 24, 2025. The Double Contribution Convention was subsequently signed on February 10, 2026.
Menon’s connection with India has attracted particular attention. His father, K. P. Shankaran Menon, belongs to Ottapalam in Kerala’s Palakkad district, while his mother, Elizabeth, came from a Ukrainian immigrant family. Born and raised in Minneapolis in the United States, Menon grew up with cultural links to both India and Ukraine.
NESAC is currently supporting the geospatial mapping of the India–Myanmar border and inter-State boundaries in the region. Its satellite-based applications are also being deployed across agriculture, forestry, water management, urban planning, governance, natural-resource assessment, communications and disaster-response systems.
The name “tailed pepper” comes from the small stalk attached to the dried berry, giving it a tail-like appearance. It resembles black pepper but has a more aromatic, slightly bitter and camphor-like fragrance.
A Memorandum of Understanding for the project was signed on July 13, 2026, by Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha and Dr Anil Jasinghe, Secretary to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health and Mass Media. Sri Lankan Minister of Health and Mass Media Dr Nalinda Jayatissa attended the signing ceremony.
The two sides reviewed cooperation across political engagement, trade and investment, technology, defence, culture and the global fight against terrorism. Their discussions demonstrated how the bilateral relationship has developed from traditional diplomatic ties into a practical partnership covering economic growth, industrial collaboration and security.
Approved by the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors, the programme is expected to generate around 1.7 million employment opportunities across solar equipment manufacturing, installation, logistics, maintenance, financing and associated services. It will also mobilise billions of dollars in private capital for household rooftop solar systems.
The Indian delegation was led by Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, while Japan was represented by Vice Minister of Defence for International Affairs Kano Koji. The two sides assessed the progress achieved since the previous dialogue and agreed to strengthen cooperation under the India–Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership.
Merchandise exports emerged as the principal driver of this expansion. Goods exports increased from $111.57 billion during April–June 2025 to $129.32 billion during April–June 2026, registering growth of 15.92 per cent. The performance reflects broader momentum across engineering goods, electronics, chemicals, gems and jewellery, agricultural commodities and several labour-intensive sectors.
