Secretary General of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Anne-Marie Descôtes with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath
Secretary General of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Anne-Marie Descôtes visited Sri Lanka from December 10 to 11 to attend the launch of the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) on December 11.
The Regional Centre for Maritime Studies is a Sri Lanka-France bilateral initiative that aims to strengthen capacity and knowledge mainly in maritime safety and security.
This collaboration demonstrates the shared interest of the two countries to strengthen cooperation in the maritime domain in the Indian Ocean, as Indian Ocean States and members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
During her short visit, the Secretary General paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bilateral talks were also held between Secretary General Descôtes and her counterpart Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja on December 11.
Concluding the visit the Secretary General paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Secretary General Descôtes was accompanied by a delegation of officials from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of France in Colombo. Senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, and the Kotelawala Defence University were associated with these meetings.
