Chargé d’affaires of the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim Al Gergawi called on Foreign Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris on November 26.
He extended greetingsfrom Foreign Affairs Minister and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah hun Zayed Al Nathan and expressed the UAE Government’s willingness to enhance bilateral trade and economic relations with the Government of Sri Lanka. He also recalled the recent bilateral meeting between Foreign Minister G.L Peiris with Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Dr. Sultan Al Jaber at the sidelines of the 76 Session of the UNGA, New York.
Foreign Minister Peiris said that the Government of Sri Lanka and the UAE has witnessed extremely cordial relations, and during his tenure he is looking forward to further strengthening Sri Lanka’s relations with the UAE. Minister Prof. Peiris also said that the support extended by the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka in the Regional and Multilateral Fora is laudable.
Foreign Minister Prof. G.L Peiris emphasized the importance of cooperation among the member countries of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), where Sri Lanka took over as the Vice-Chair during the 21st Council of Ministers’ Meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and commended the role played by the UAE as former Vice-Chair for the progress of the Association.
He alsosaid that he is looking forward to further discussions on these issues during his participation at the 5th Indian Ocean Conference – IOC that will be held in December 2021 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. It will be chaired by Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa under the theme “Ecology, Economy, and Epidemic”.
