Nov 13, Colombo: Sri Lanka and Sweden convened the first round of bilateral political consultations virtually at senior official level on 09 November 2023.

The consultations took place on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries which will be celebrated in 2024.

The consultations focused on consolidating existing multifaceted partnership and identifying new avenues for increased cooperation. Strengthening the bilateral partnership in ICT, Science and Technology, Climate Change & Environment and bilateral economic partnership were the main focus areas of the discussion. The two sides also exchanged views on cooperation at multilateral fora.

The Sri Lankan side indicated keen interest in exploring the possibility of institutional collaboration and capacity building in R&D, ICT and the education sector. The prospect of high level visits from Sweden to commemorate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations (2024) was also discussed.

The consultations were co-chaired by Additional Secretary/Bilateral Affairs (West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Yasoja Gunasekera, and Head of Department for Asia, the Pacific region and Latin America of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Oscar Schlyter.