The Hon. Vijitha Herath - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, our Ministry was formed by integrating Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism to maximize foreign exchange earnings. Our foreign policy is clear, neutral, friendly and progressive. That is how we must position Sri Lanka with dignity.

¶ 02 We are expanding new cooperation spheres, opening markets, deepening bilateral, regional and multilateral engagements, strengthening economic diplomacy, engaging on climate and environmental security, and actively working with the Sri Lankan diaspora worldwide.

¶ 03 In the past year, we have made solid progress. We have 03 new foreign missions. Early this year we opened the New Zealand High Commission. A previous administration closed the Consulate-General in Cyprus despite a large Sri Lankan workforce there; we reopened it this year. In early next year’s first quarter, we will open a new Consulate-General in Chengdu, China, to facilitate greater Chinese tourism flows, complementing our other consulates in China.

¶ 04 We have strengthened diplomatic ties globally. Over the past year, more than 20 Heads and Ministers visited Sri Lanka, and our leaders reciprocated. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visited Sri Lanka after many years, and we provided full facilitation, reflecting confidence in our human rights and democracy.

¶ 05 With IMF, World Bank and ADB support, we are moving out of economic bankruptcy. The President of the World Bank visited this year; we have advanced assistance and lending programmes.

¶ 06 Our President made eight official visits; the Prime Minister made six, strengthening ties and engaging business communities to attract investment and expand opportunities.

¶ 07 We restarted political dialogues with nine countries where talks had lapsed for years. After seven years, we re-engaged Bhutan and Bangladesh; after four years, the Netherlands; we also revived tracks with Switzerland, Japan, and the Philippines; and after over a decade, with Thailand and the UAE. We concluded the Agreement between Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments, which Parliament approved. The UAE now shows strong interest in investing in Sri Lanka; their Foreign Minister and Deputy visited Sri Lanka multiple times.

¶ 08 In total, we signed 70 new MoUs/agreements this year: 20 with South Asia, 19 with East Asia, 8 with Southeast and Central Asia, 15 with Europe and North America, 4 with the Middle East, and 4 with Latin America and the Caribbean. We newly established diplomatic relations with Antigua and Barbuda and Belize, expanding in the Caribbean where we were weak.

¶ 09 On investment and business, Government facilitates; the private sector executes. We have enabled engagements with around 150 foreign companies for new investment opportunities within a year and exchanged views with nearly 2,000 firms, building awareness that we expect to convert into business. We supported the Ceylon Chamber and signed an MoU between the Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka.

¶ 10 On energy, food security and medicines, we engaged bilaterally and multilaterally and achieved significant gains. On debt, having restructured ISBs, we advanced bilateral restructuring with the UK, France, Hungary, Japan, India, Saudi Arabia and Australia through coordinated work by the Finance Ministry, Central Bank and MFA.

¶ 11 Regarding US tariffs imposed under President Donald Trump, we worked to reduce a 44% special tariff to 20% and secured zero-tariff treatment for some food items under a new directive issued on the 13th. Seventeen negotiation rounds have been held; while no final agreement is signed yet, we have already gained relief.

¶ 12 After 13 years, in 2026 we will hold Sri Lanka Expo with the Export Development Board, MFA, other agencies and missions to strengthen the economy.

¶ 13 Multilaterally, we chaired IORA, held ministerial gatherings, and co-hosted events with the Ceylon Chamber. We marked the 75th anniversary of Colombo Plan in Colombo. At the UN, the President clearly articulated our strong position supporting the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people. At the UNHRC in Geneva, we have acted in a balanced manner in defence of national and public security, asserting a domestic mechanism for human rights protection. We have achieved many successes in a short span.

¶ 14 Thank you.