Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen,
It has been an honour and indeed a privilege to welcome to Sri Lanka the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Honourable Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. The visit is significant as this is the very first visit by a Foreign Minister of Turkey to Sri Lanka. I am confident that over the course of this visit we will build a solid foundation for this new chapter in our bilateral relations.
We have just concluded a very productive discussion and signed the ‘Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka on Diplomatic Training, Exchange of Information and Documentation’. Greater interaction between our foreign offices would certainly pave the way for stronger ties in all spheres of cooperation between our two states.
Your visit, Minister Çavuşoğlu comes at a very significant time. The present Government is rebalancing Sri Lanka’s relations with the international community based on the spirit on openness and also you have come at a time when Sri Lanka is moving forward on a new future based on democratization, reconciliation and development.
Turkey has in the recent past renewed its ties and cooperation with Sri Lanka in the spheres of trade, commerce and investment. Let me say that our Government is committed to further strengthening our long standing partnership.
The Turkish side was briefed on the steps being taken by the Government of President Maithripala Sirisena to promote human rights, reconciliation and to strengthen accountability processes as part of our Government’s overall objective of ensuring good governance.
Discussions were also held on development cooperation. I extended Sri Lanka’s appreciation for generous assistance given by Turkey for priority projects in collaboration with Turkey International Cooperation Agency (TIKA), the President of which is also here in Sri Lanka, with the Foreign Minister. Turkey has undertaken a housing project in Mannar and has built 100 houses as a first stage at an estimated cost of USD 300,000 being implemented by the Organisation for Habitation and Resources Development (OHRD).
The Turkey International Cooperation Agency has expressed willingness to finance priority projects and capacity building programmes under their grant assistance in accordance with the Sri Lanka Development Framework.
We have also discussed the possibilities of closer economic cooperation. We are keen that our trade turnover should increase in the coming years. We also want to encourage more Turkish investors to take advantage of the economic opportunities here in Sri Lanka.
Economic and technical cooperation between the two countries have been strengthened by the signing of the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, which came into effect in 2007 (27 November 2007). We will soon hold the second meeting of the Sri Lanka-Turkey Joint Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation.
With a view to further enhancing and intensifying relations through financial cooperation, a MoU between Sri Lanka and Turkey will be signed in the near future. Under this MoU, Türk Exim Bank will allocate a credit line to the amount of USD 350 million to the Sri Lankan Government.
I am confident that regular high level interactions at all levels will certainly pave the way for a stronger relationship between Turkey and Sri Lanka, which will in turn benefit our countries and our peoples.
Earlier today, Minister Çavuşoğlu called on President Maithripala Sirisena and immediately after this will hold discussions with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other Ministers. I am confident that these discussions will pave the way for our two countries to understand our priorities and to find ways of taking our close and friendly relations to greater heights.
I wish Minister Çavuşoğlu and his delegation, a very pleasant stay in Sri Lanka.
Thank you.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo. 15 June 2016
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Media statement of Hon. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka.
15 June 2016
Thank you very much dear Foreign Minister Samaraweera, dear friend, Mangala. First of all, thank you for your kind invitation and warm hospitality you extended myself and my delegation. We have been enjoying very much since we arrived in Sri Lanka. I would like to reciprocate your hospitality in Turkey. Therefore, let me extend my invitation for your visit to Turkey in this year. On this occasion my dear friends, I wish to repeat Turkish people’s condolences for those who lost their lives in the recent floods in Sri Lanka.
Maybe Turkey and Sri Lanka are geographically distant countries. However, geographical distances do not prevent our cooperation in many areas and fields that you mentioned in your statement. Sri Lanka is extending its helping hand to Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Turkey. This is very much appreciated, and it is meaningful and symbolic. Turkey stands by the people of Sri Lanka in times of natural disasters. Today, I reiterated that Turkey will continue standing with Sri Lankan people in good days and in difficult days.
Our countries with their diverse and rich cultures are examples of living in harmony, and we welcome your government’s efforts to strengthen reconciliation in Sri Lanka. We are dedicated to strengthen our friendly relations and enhance our cooperation. There is a rich potential to explore in a wide spectrum of areas, and today in our meeting with Foreign Minister Samaraweera, we touched upon every aspect of our bilateral relations, and we agreed that we can further develop our economic relations. We also decided to increase our cooperation in the fields of energy, security, culture, tourism, agriculture, education and health. The humanitarian issues constitute an important part of our relations.
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) established a village of one hundred thousand IDPs in Sri Lanka, and as you mentioned, the president of TIKA Dr. Serdar Çam is also among us. TIKA is ready to continue support in development projects and also humanitarian assistance in Sri Lanka. Today, we just signed a MOU for cooperation between our two ministries on training and exchange of information and documentation. Besides, we exchanged views on some regional issues, but we agreed to continue discussion on regional issues at the dinner that my dear friend is going to host us.
Sri Lanka is located at a very strategic geographic location. Therefore, security and stability of Sri Lanka is so important for this region and beyond. I believe that my visit today will open a new phase in our bilateral relations, President Erdoğan is willing to pay a state visit to Sri Lanka within this year.
I wish to thank you once again, my dear friend for your kind hospitality and for the fruitful discussions we had today, and looking forward to be received by the Prime Minister and also Speaker of the Parliament. Inter parliamentary relations is also important between the two countries.
Thank you.
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Audio of Remarks of both Foreign Ministers uploaded at SoundCloud
Video of MOU signing ceremony, followed by Remarks of both Ministers at YouTube
