Sri Lanka, April 5 -- Sri Lanka on Saturday conferred its highest civilian honour, the Mithra Vibhushana, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said the award reflects the historic ties and deep friendship between the two countries.

The honour was introduced in 2008 and has been bestowed on former Maldivian president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the past. The award was presented to Modi by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during a ceremony at the presidential secretariat in Colombo.

"It is an honour for me to be awarded the Sri Lanka Mithra Vibhushana by President Dissanayake," Modi said, adding that this was also an honour for 1.4 billion Indians.

The recipient is awarded a citation and a silver m...