| Abstract: | India’s foreign policy has increasingly prioritized regional engagement as a core strategic objective in the post-2014 period. The articulation of the Neighbourhood First Policy represents a deliberate attempt by India to recalibrate its relations with its immediate neighbours by emphasizing political trust, economic cooperation, development partnership, and security collaboration. Sri Lanka occupies a pivotal position within this framework due to its geographical proximity, shared historical and civilizational ties, and strategic location in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). This article examines India’s Neighbourhood First Policy through a focused case study of India–Sri Lanka relations. It analyses the evolution of bilateral engagement in the areas of diplomacy, economic assistance, security cooperation, and regional geopolitics. The study argues that while India’s engagement with Sri Lanka reflects a shift towards cooperative, development-centric, and pragmatic diplomacy, persistent challenges such as ethnic concerns, domestic political constraints, and external strategic competition continue to shape the outcomes of the policy. |
