President Wickremesinghe meets Indian Foreign Minister in Perth

President Ranil Wickremesinghe and India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar held bilateral discussions at the 7th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) in Perth, Australia on Friday (9) during which both sides have acknowledged the advancements in their bilateral cooperation and have committed to further strengthening it.

President Wickremesinghe left for Australia on Thursday (8), at the invitation of the India Foundation and the Australian Government, to attend the conference.

The event, titled “Towards a Stable and Sustainable Indian Ocean” aims to promote cooperation among forty participating nations.

Participation of President Wickremesinghe is indicative of Sri Lanka’s proactive approach to regional security and development.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry will speak at the plenary session themed “Our Blue Future: How can the Indian Ocean region work with island states to safeguard the health of our shared ocean resources”

With Minister Sabry’s involvement, Sri Lanka is demonstrating its commitment to protecting its common ocean resources.

The India Foundation, in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Australian Government, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, and Perth-US Asia Centre, organized the conference aiming at developing a strategic plan for the region’s future.

In 2017, under the patronage of President Wickremesinghe, the Prime Minister back then, Sri Lanka previously hosted the second edition of the IOC.