External Affairs Minister Professor G.L. Peiris had bilateral discussions with Mr. Mankeur Ndiaye, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Senegal on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the 17th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement in Algiers.
Minister Ndiaye, appreciating Sri Lanka's recent focus on the strengthening of political and economic relations with countries in the African continent, proposed the establishment of a Joint Commission between Sri Lanka and Senegal. The two Ministers also agreed on entering into an agreement for political consultations. Senegal's Foreign Minister readily agreed to support Sri Lanka's effort to engage with the African Union at their headquarters in Addis Ababa. As the country located at the Western extremity of Africa, on the Atlantic seaboard, Senegal has great strategic and economic importance in terms of developing a mutually beneficial relationship with Sri Lanka.
The two Ministers agreed to work energetically towards this objective.
Algiers
28 May 2014
