COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka and Estonia convened the inaugural bilateral political consultations at senior official level on 04 April 2024 in Colombo.
The consultations focused on consolidating bilateral relations and identifying new areas for cooperation between the two countries.
Potential for both public and private sector collaborations in ICT and e-governance was the high point of the discussion as Estonia is renowned for its expertise in these sectors.
A Memorandum of Understanding in e-governance is being negotiated between the two countries for further consolidating the partnership.
The discussion also considered strengthening collaboration in green development, tourism, education, technical assistance and capacity building.
The two sides exchanged views on cooperation at multilateral fora, developments in their respective regions and current global issues. They reiterated a shared commitment to upholding the values of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.
The next session of the bilateral consultations will take place in Tallinn in 2026.
The Consultations were co-chaired by Director General for Europe and North America of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Shobini Gunasekera and Director General of the Department for Asia, Pacific, Africa and Middle East of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Kristi Karelsohn.