Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Dr. Hossein Amir Abdollahian, undertook an official visit to Sri Lanka from 19 - 21 February 2024 on the invitation extended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry.
The visiting Minister and delegation had official discussions with Foreign Minister Ali Sabry at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Iranian Foreign Minister paid courtesy calls on President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena during the visit.
The Foreign Ministers with their delegations had extensive discussions on further strengthening the bilateral cooperation in multiple areas of mutual interest including political, economic and cultural collaboration. The Ministers also emphasized the importance of close collaboration in the multilateral fora.
In his opening remarks, Minister Ali Sabry appreciated the support extended by the Government of Islamic Republic Iran last year to the debt restructuring process of Sri Lanka, following the economic crisis last year. The Minister further highlighted the Iranian contribution to the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project and other development projects.
Minister Ali Sabry informed the smooth implementation of the MoU signed in 2021, between the Ministry of Plantation of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Trade of the Islamic Republic of Iran on settlement of the outstanding payment from Ceylon Petroleum Corporation to the National Iranian Oil Company, facilitating the export of Ceylon Tea to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
While emphasizing the solid and strong bilateral relations between the two countries, Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian congratulated Sri Lanka on the rapid recovery from the economic crisis and expressed willingness to cooperate and share expertise in many fields including in energy, agriculture and science and technology.
During the discussion, both sides agreed to hold the 12th Session of the Joint Commission for Economic Co-operation in the near future.
State Minister of Power and Energy D. V. Chanaka, State Minister of Rural Economy Kader Masthan, State Minister of Rural Economy, Niraj De Mel, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tea Board, senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Irrigation, and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka participated in the discussion.
The Iranian delegation led by Dr. Amir Abdollahian included Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Sri Lanka Alireza Delkhosh, Assistant Minister and Director General of West Asia Dr. Seyed Rasoul Mousavi, Deputy Minister for Energy Mojtaba Akbari, senior officials from the President’s office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Energy and other relevant Ministries of Iran.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
21 February 2024
