Foreign Minister Prof. G.L.Peiris in his discussion with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Thailand, Don. Pramudwinai indicated strong and historical bilateral ties as two countries practising Theravada Buddhism. Minister appreciated the assistance provided by Thailand to sustain the Buddhist monks at a time Sri Lanka did not have a sufficient number of senior Buddhist monks.
Minister highlighted that the relations between the two countries are not limited to the governments but also between the people. Both the countries have worked closely together in many international and regional groupings such as BIMSTEC, IORA and Asian Cooperation Dialogue. Minister Peiris indicated that there is abundant scope for enhancing cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, inland fisheries and gem and jewellery. Sri Lanka is keen on value addition to our products and expertise can be obtained from Thailand in this regard.
Minister Peiris furthermore thanked the Government of Thailand for the unstinted support in UNHRC for the principled position that imposing foreign solutions on individual countries without the consent of that country is against the principles of the UN.
Thailand Foreign Minister mentioned memories of participating in royal “Katina” in Sri Lanka and indicated that prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka was part of the Buddhist holy trail and the Minister hopes that it would revive once the Covid-19-pandemic is brought under control.
The Foreign Minister of Thailand stated that they are ready to take over from Sri Lanka the chairmanship of BIMSTEC and to carry forward the initiatives underway. Minister stressed the importance of preventing climate change and the need for all to be on board whether it is corporate sector, community and youth. We need to address the issues and collaboratively work together to create a more peaceful world.
Foreign Ministry, Colombo, 24th September 2021