The Cultural Cooperation Agreement signed by the Government of India and the Government of Sri Lanka on 29 th November, 1977 at New Delhi forms the basis on which the periodical Cultural Exchange Programmes (CEPs) between the two countries are signed and implemented.

The CEP seeks to enhance the level of cooperation between the peoples of the two countries in a wide variety of fields such as performing arts, visual arts, literature, museums, archives & cultural documentation, social sciences, archaeology, promotion of handicrafts, nature conservation, education (Medicine, Management, fine arts etc), exchange of teachers and academic material, sports, tourism and media.

The new Cultural Exchange Programme for the years 2003-2006 was signed in October 2003. This programme includes proposals for cooperation in the fields of art and culture, sports and youth affairs, tourism and media.