Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickremesinghe to treat the issue of fishermen as a humanitarian matter.
"The Sri Lankan Prime Minister and I discussed the fishermen issue. We agreed that the fishermen associations of both sides should continue their efforts to find a solution. I conveyed to him that this should be seen as a humanitarian issue that affects livelihoods," Prime Minister Modi said in his joint statement with Wickremesinghe.
"I informed him of the steps we are taking to encourage Indian fishermen to take up deep sea fishing," he added.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe arrived in India on Monday evening on a three-day visit.
Wickremesinghe is on his first overseas visit after becoming prime minister last month.