Turkey wants closer ties with Sri Lanka: Foreign minister

COLOMBO (News 1st); Turkey seeks to promote cooperation with Sri Lanka in fields of economy, culture and education, says the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. The Foreign Minister made these remarks while inaugurating a new office of Sri Lanka's Antalya Honorary Consulate General in the town of Alanya. Emphasizing that honorary consulates play an important role in diplomatic interactions, he recalled that the first Turkish diplomatic contact with Sri Lanka was established in 1864 when the Ottoman Empire opened an honorary consulate. Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize Sri Lanka following its independence in 1948, he added. Çavuşoğlu said bilateral ties have grown stronger since a tsunami affected Sri Lanka in 2004 and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a visit to the country at the time. Çavuşoğlu also said that ealth and tourism sectors should also be explored and incorporated into relations. In a Twitter post, Cavusoglu said: "[Turkey] Will further develop our cooperation with friendly Sri Lanka in the framework of our Asia Anew Initiative." https://twitter.com/MevlutCavusoglu/status/1456971362627727362?s=20