Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe said he wants to see the use of the Indian rupee as much as the US dollar.
"It makes no difference to us if India [the Indian rupee] becomes a common currency. We will have to figure out how to go about it. We must become more open to the outside world," said President Wickremesinghe, addressing the Indian CEO Forum in Colombo.
"The world is evolving and India is undergoing rapid development, particularly under Prime Minister Modi's leadership," Wickremesinghe further stressed.
"Just as East Asia, including countries like Japan, Korea and China, witnessed significant growth 75 years ago, it is now India's turn, along with the Indian Ocean region," he added.
Wickremesinghe's comments came ahead of his two-day visit to New Delhi, starting on July 21, during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This will be Wickremesinghe’s first visit to India as President after he replaced former leader Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid a major economic crisis last year.
After Colombo defaulted on its sovereign debt of $51Bln in March 2022, India provided $4Bln in emergency aid to Colombo, including a $1Bln credit line.