Colombo, 28 August 2023 (TDI): The fifth round of bilateral political consultations between Sri Lanka and Thailand was held on Monday in Colombo, at the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Sri Lanka side was represented by Aruni Wijewardane the Secretary of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On the other hand, the Thai side was represented by Sarun Charoensuwan, Thai Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs.
During the event, the parties discussed a wide range of areas of mutual collaboration in the fields of trade and investment, defence, culture, fisheries, and tourism for further progress.
Wijewardane expressed Sri Lanka’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations with Thailand and the ASEAN region, as the former continues its journey towards a stabilized economy.
Also Read: Sri Lankan Foreign Minister participates in BIMSTEC Retreat Furthermore, regarding the application of Sri Lanka to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, Foreign Secretary Wijewardane solicited Thai’s support given that Thailand is among the founding members of the Organization.
Additionally, Wijewardane congratulated Thailand on its achievements in BIMSTEC under its present leadership including initiating the Vision of a Prosperous Resilient and Open BIMSTEC by 2030.
Thai Permanent Secretary Charoensuwan informed the Sri Lanka side about the recent developments in his country, including the appointment of the new Prime Minister of Thailand Srettha Thavisin.
Furthermore, Charoensuwan welcomed Sri Lanka’s economic recovery since the previous year and noted Thailand’s readiness to continue to support the country through technical assistance on various programs under the Two-Year Implementation Plan.
On the sidelines of bilateral political consultations, a negotiation and business matching session was held between leading private sector companies of the two countries in the morning at the Siam Nivasa.
Conclusively, the delegation with Foreign Secretary Wijewardane included senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials from the Ministries of Defence and Fisheries and the Department of External Resources.
Whereas, the delegation with Secretary Charoensuwan included the Thai Ambassador to Sri Lanka Poj Harnpol, and other senior officials of the Thai Foreign Ministry.
