Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa

The EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica arrived in Sri Lanka today, 15^th March 2016, to re-affirm EU support for the Government of Sri Lanka, review ongoing development programmes and to discuss ways and means of  further enhancing  Sri Lanka – EU bilateral cooperation.  This is the first visit of the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development to Sri Lanka and is the first visit by a high-level EU representative since the current Government assumed office. 

The Inter-Summit Session of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will be held in Pokhara, Nepal from 14-17 March 2016. The meeting will provide an opportunity for member states to assess the progress of decisions that had been taken in various SAARC forums, including decisions of the 18^th SAARC Summit held in November 2014 in Kathmandu, and identify priority issues to be taken forward in SAARC related activities and programmes.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, on an official visit to the Republic of Korea, expressed Sri Lanka’s commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations for mutual benefit, on Friday 11 March in Seoul.  Minister Samaraweera’s sentiments were reciprocated by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.  The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister was accompanied on the visit by the Minister of Foreign Employment Thalatha Atukorale, demonstrating the importance attached to labour relations with Korea by the Sri Lankan Government.  This was the first official visit to Korea by a Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka since the inauguration of the Government in 2015.  

The Government of the Kingdom of Thailand hosted the 14^th Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Ministerial Meeting under the theme “ACD – the way forward” on 9^th - 10^th March 2016 in Bangkok, which was preceded by a Senior Officials’ Meeting.