Sri Lanka and New Zealand renew commitment to boost stronger ties

Establishment of a Trade and Economic Dialogue with New Zealand discussed during visit of latter's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters Expanding trade links, especially in high-potential sectors such as dairy, processed food, and fresh produce, and improving market access for Sri Lankan products Deeper sports collaboration including training opportunities for young Sri Lankan athletes in cricket and rugby, and programs for women's empowerment, particularly focused on financial management, entrepreneurship, and diplomacy New Zealand launches Sustainable Water and Livelihoods project which will support farming households to improve their health and income generation Government-to-government cooperation figure during talks

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SRI Lanka and New Zealand yesterday renewed their commitment to boost stronger ties.

The reinforcement was expressed during the visit of New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and his meeting with Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Foreign Employment Minister Vijitha Herath.

During the bilateral talks, Minister Herath said that Peters' visit marks the highest-level engagement from New Zealand in recent times. The first, in fact, since the establishment of a resident diplomatic mission in Colombo in 2021, followed by the opening of the Sri Lanka High Commission in Wellington early this year.

"It is a significant milestone in the growing partnership between our two nations. I'm delighted to note that our countries have worked closely to deepen and broaden our ties and as a result, the Sri Lanka-New Zealand bilateral relationship has been further consolidated. I look forward to working closely with New Zealand, to transform our relations into a dynamic, multifaceted partnership in the future," Herath said.

He revealed that he and Minister Peters had wide-ranging and productive discussions, focused mainly on advancing interests in the areas of trade and investment, agriculture, education, tourism and sports. The two countries welcomed the negotiations held so far, and discussed working towards the establishment of a Trade and Economic Dialogue with New Zealand, through which the two countries hope to streamline collaboration across multiple sectors and promote growth and prosperity for Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand also explored expanding trade links, especially in high potential sectors such as dairy, processed food, and fresh produce, and discussed improving market access for Sri Lankan products.