Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to advance and broaden the scope of the bilateral engagement with Cyprus, when he met the country’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides last week.
This was the first official visit to Cyprus by a Sri Lankan Foreign Minister since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1963.
Minister Marapana also called on Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Labour, Welfare, and Social Insurance Minister Zeta Emilianidou. Foreign Ministers Marapana and Christodoulides inaugurated the office of the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Nicosia.
The discussions between Minister Marapana and his Cypriot counterpart Christodoulides reviewed bilateral activities with a special focus on increasing cooperation in the labour, tourism, education and agriculture sectors, including SMEs development. Foreign Minister Christodoulides assured Minister Marapana that Cyprus was ready to address and resolve key outstanding matters related to Sri Lankan workers employed in Cyprus.
Both sides welcomed the proposal to convene political consultations in January 2020 to review progress in the agreed areas of enhanced cooperation.