Sri Lanka – UAE joint commission concludes in Colombo

The Second Session of the Joint Commission between Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been successfully concluded in Colombo.

The session was co-chaired by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra and the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the UAE Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Minister Hemachandra underscored that the establishment of the Sri Lanka–UAE Joint Commission marks a significant milestone in the partnership between the two countries. He emphasized that the mechanism serves as an effective platform for advancing comprehensive cooperation both at the bilateral level and within international fora.

The Deputy Minister further noted that, although the First Session of the Joint Commission was held in Abu Dhabi in 2014, bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the UAE have continued to strengthen, underpinned by close collaboration across multiple sectors.

The discussions during the Second Session provided a valuable opportunity to review ongoing cooperation and explore new avenues in key areas such as trade, investment, labour, and other fields of mutual interest, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The Deputy Minister Hemachandra highlighted the importance of further consolidating economic and trade relations, noting that the two countries had, during the year, concluded two landmark agreements — the Agreement on the Promotion and Protection of Investments (IPPA) and the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the UAE–Sri Lanka Joint Business Council.

The UAE State Minister welcomed the elevation of the bilateral relationship in the past few months and expressed keen interest in focusing on enhanced trade and tourism cooperation including infrastructure development targeting high end tourism from UAE. He conveyed willingness to further step up cooperation in energy, investments, financial services and textiles, and noted the importance of economic cooperation diversification.

The discussions encompassed a wide range of areas of cooperation, including political, economic, financial, transport, sports, health, customs, energy, labour, defence, science and technology, education, culture, agriculture, food, and postal sectors.

During their stay, State Minister Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri and the accompanying delegation also paid courtesy calls on the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath and the Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunathilaka.

The Third Session of the Sri Lanka–UAE Joint Commission is scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi.