Sri Lanka foreign minister to visit Kingdom

Sri Lankan Ambassador Azmi Thassim, second right, is seen with community members on the 69th Independence Day of Sri Lanka in Riyadh on Saturday. (AN photo)

RIYADH: Sri Lankan Ambassador Azmi Thassim on Saturday said he was making extensive arrangements for the forthcoming visit to Saudi Arabia of his country’s Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera.
“It’s going to be a remarkable visit, since the foreign minister’s talks will focus on how best the two countries can cooperate with each other in working toward achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Program (NTP) 2020,” Thassim said at the 69th anniversary of his country’s Independence Day celebrations at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh.
Sri Lanka looks forward to further strengthening bilateral relations, especially in the fields of employment, trade, investment and tourism, he added.
“Appreciating the long-standing relationship with Saudi Arabia, our country wholeheartedly supports Vision 2030 under the wise leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, and NTP 2020 initiated by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, second deputy premier and defense minister.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, trade and tourism have increased tremendously to the benefit of the people of the two countries," he said, adding that nearly 38,000 Saudis holidayed in Sri Lanka last year.