Govt. to sign two agreements with Indonesia during President’s visit to Jakarta next week

Sri Lanka will sign two bilateral memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Indonesia during President Maithripala Sirisena’s official visit to Jakarta next week, a statement on cabinet decisions said.

Accepting an invitation extended by Indonesia to attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit and conduct a state visit, President Sirisena will visit Jakarta on 7-8 March.

An MoU between the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries of Indonesia and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development of Sri Lanka on marine and fisheries cooperation, and another MoU between the Marketing Service Agency for the Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperatives of Indonesia and the National Craft Council of Sri Lanka on traditional industrial cooperation will be signed on 08 March.

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal made by Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva to sign the two MoUs during the President’s visit.

Siriesena’s visit will sharpen the bilateral relations between Indonesia and Sri Lanka which will be realised through enhancing cooperation in the SME sector, fisheries, and higher education, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

On the sidelines of the visit, the Indonesian Vice Foreign Minister will meet 15 businesspeople in Sri Lanka from the furniture, pharmaceutical, food, and paper fields. The Vice Minister has invited the businesspeople to participate in the IORA Business Summit on 6 March 2017 in Jakarta which will be part of the Sri Lankan President’s itinerary in Indonesia.