India, April 5 -- Sri Lanka on Saturday rolled out the red carpet for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake according him a ceremonial welcome at the historic Independence Square in the heart of the capital ahead of talks aimed at bolstering cooperation in areas ranging from energy to defence.

Modi arrived in Colombo on Friday evening after attending the Bimstec (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit in Bangkok.

Indian officials said the ceremonial welcome for Modi at Independence Square - which is the venue for national day celebrations and takes its name from the Independence Memorial Hall built to commemorate Sri Lanka's independence from British rule in...