Fourth round of Sri Lanka-Bangladesh Foreign Office Consultations concludes

The fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, led by the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries, successfully concluded in Colombo yesterday. Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Ministry Secretary Aruni Ranaraja co-chaired the consultations with Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam.

 This round of consultations marked a continuation of Foreign Office Consultations between the two countries, with the third round having been held in Dhaka in 2017.

The Sri Lanka- Bangladesh Foreign Office Consultations served as a vital platform to review all aspects of bilateral cooperation and matters of mutual interest, while also exploring new avenues for collaboration across diverse sectors. Discussions covered bilateral, regional, and multilateral issues, encompassing areas including agriculture, education, health, trade, investment, digital economy, defence, connectivity, tourism, fisheries, youth affairs, culture, and people-to-people contacts.

Highlighting Sri Lanka’s substantial investments and diaspora presence in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka invited Bangladeshi investors to invest in development projects, logistics services, cultivation, and tourism-related businesses in Sri Lanka. Opportunities to expand collaboration in banking services were also discussed to contribute to financial stability and economic well-being. 

Appreciating the existing Sri Lankan investments, Bangladesh invited further investments from Sri Lanka in its Export Processing Zones (EPZs), Special Economic Zones (SEZs), and API Industrial Parks, especially in high-potential sectors including pharmaceuticals, hospitality, tourism, automobiles and light engineering, ICT, renewable energy, agro-processing, leather, and footwear.

Sri Lanka appreciated the support extended by Bangladesh during the economic challenges in 2022 by extending assistance amounting to $ 200 million.

Bangladesh requested Sri Lanka to streamline the pharmaceuticals products registration process. The two sides agreed to work for trade facilitation and the early convening of the meetings of the Trade Negotiating Committee, Joint Working Group on Trade and Shipping. For deeper economic cooperation, both sides emphasised the importance of enhanced engagement of the private sectors and their chambers.

To boost bilateral trade, investments, and connectivity, both sides emphasised the need for early finalisation of all pending legal instruments.

Emphasising the importance of connectivity, both sides explored the need to strengthen the shipping sector, with the potential to establish port connectivity between Chattogram and Colombo. Recognising the significant role that tourism plays in the economies of the two countries, Sri Lanka expressed its interest in collaborating with Bangladesh on developing Green Tourism. Bangladesh welcomed Sri Lanka’s proposal and also proposed to develop joint tourism initiatives, including Tea and Buddhist tourism circuits, and to finalise the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tourism Cooperation.

Both parties acknowledged opportunities to expand collaboration in agriculture and fisheries, focusing on water resource management, deep-sea longline fishing, and freshwater fish farming through knowledge and expertise sharing. Bangladesh invited Sri Lankan farmers for exposure visits to Bangladesh, offered cooperation in livestock sectors, and expressed interest in obtaining Sri Lanka’s expertise in deep-sea fishing.

Further discussions were held on cooperation in the education and health sectors. Bangladesh appreciated Sri Lanka’s proposal to increase the number of annual slots for training of Bangladeshi nurses in Sri Lanka. Both sides agreed to extend cooperation for strengthening youth development. Bangladesh offered to exchange diploma programs in athletics, sports science, and cricket. 

The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation between two national news agencies. Bangladesh proposed creating a Bangladesh-Sri Lanka Tech Corridor to promote cooperation in digital innovation. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing regional cooperation, especially through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Bangladesh sought Sri Lanka’s support for the safe return of the Rohingyas and to ensure their sustainable livelihoods, rights, and dignity, irrespective of their background.

The Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh paid courtesy calls on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra.

The Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh extended an invitation to the Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka to visit Dhaka for the fifth round of the Foreign Office Consultations next year.

The Bangladesh delegation included its High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Andalib Elias, and senior officials of the Foreign Affairs, Shipping, and Commerce Ministries of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh High Commission in Colombo.

The Sri Lanka delegation included Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dharmapala Weerakkody, Director General of South Asia and SAARC Division Samantha Pathirana, and senior officials of the Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Ministry and other line Ministries and agencies.