The 3rd Japan-Sri Lanka Senior Official Level Policy Dialogue

On 30th July, during his visit to Sri Lanka, Mr. Shingo MIYAMOTO, Assistant Minister/ Director-General, Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, held the 3rd Japan-Sri Lanka Senior Official Level Policy Dialogue in Colombo with Ms. Sashikala Premawardhane, Additional Secretary, Bilateral Political Affairs-East, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka.
 
H.E. Ambassador Akio ISOMATA, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other relevant ministries and the Japanese Embassy also attended the meeting. The overview of this dialogue is as follows.

1. This high-level policy dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was the third one, following those held in 2016 and 2021, and was the first one held under the new NPP Government, which inaugurated in September last year (2024).
 
2. The two countries exchanged views on their respective foreign policy priorities, bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, and the current international situation. The Sri Lankan side once again expressed its gratitude for Japan's cooperation including on Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring in response to its economic crisis. Japan stated that it would continue to develop cooperation under the “Comprehensive Partnership between Japan and Sri Lanka,” aiming for quality growth with an emphasis on inclusiveness and support the efforts by the President Dissanayake’s administration to improve the lives of its people and combat corruption.

3. H.E. Ambassador ISOMATA mentioned in the opening part of the dialogue that Japan is committed to continuing to assist Sri Lanka in its socio-economic development, including aligning itself with various initiatives of the new government of Sri Lanka, such as renewed efforts for the development of Northern and Eastern Provinces, national reconciliation, as well as "Clean Sri Lanka".
 
4. Both countries reaffirmed that they would continue to closely cooperate for the economic and social development of Sri Lanka, including the conflict-affected Northern and Eastern provinces.
 
5. On the same day, Ambassador ISOMATA and Assistant-Minister MIYAMOTO paid courtesy calls respectively on Hon. Harini Amarasuriya, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and Hon. Aruni Hemachandra, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment of Sri Lanka, and exchanged views on the importance of continuously holding dialogues at various levels between the two countries to further advance the bilateral relations.