Admiral Professor Jayanath Colombage paid a courtesy call on Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Retno Marsudi on 21 February 2023 at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.
While expressing his gratitude for the excellent arrangements made for the credential ceremony, Ambassador Colombage elaborated on the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Indonesia which date back several centuries. He also appreciated the contribution made by the vibrant Java community in Sri Lanka for the development of the country. While commending the unity of diversified Indonesian people, Ambassador Colombage stated that it provides a great lesson for other multi-ethnic and multi-religious countries such as Sri Lanka.
The Ambassador of Sri Lanka also congratulated the Indonesian Foreign Minister for the successful conclusion of the Presidency of G20 and taking over the Chairmanship of ASEAN for the year 2023. He also mentioned that Sri Lanka counts on the strong support from Indonesia in the multilateral for a as a leading member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Minister Retno Marsudi highlighted the importance of elevating economic cooperation between the two countries as there are no contentious political issues that need resolution. Ambassador Colombage requested the support of the Indonesian government to attract more investments to Sri Lanka from Indonesia. He also explored the possibility of convening the Joint Commission of Bilateral Cooperation between Sri Lanka and Indonesia at the Foreign Minister Level and signing of the Terms of References of Joint Working Group on Trade and Investment between the two countries at the earliest.
Both the Indonesian Foreign Minister and Ambassador stressed the importance of maintaining peace and security in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and agreed to work together more collaboratively in the field of maritime security.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Jakarta
28 February 2023
