COLOMBO : The Third Round of Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and the
Philippines successfully concluded in Colombo on Friday, 12 September .
Delivering the opening remarks, the Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka Aruni Ranaraja, highlighted the need to expand and strengthen the warm and friendly relations that exist between the two countries. She expressed the hope that the Philippines would consider re-opening the resident Mission of the Philippines in Colombo particularly in view of the 65th anniversary of diplomatic
relations that takes place in 2026. She further expressed that Sri Lanka looks forward to working closely with the Philippines as they undertake the forthcoming chairmanship of
ASEAN.
The meeting provided a useful opportunity to review the state of bilateral relations and to explore avenues for strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors. Both sides engaged in constructive discussions on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest including in the areas of trade, investment, labour, defence, security, agriculture, fisheries, culture, education and political and diplomatic exchanges.
Priority was given to agriculture, with special focus on the coconut and plantation
industries, alongside collaboration in technology transfer, irrigation, food security, and rice research. Fisheries and aquaculture were also identified as areas for deeper engagement, with Sri Lanka welcoming the opportunity to learn from the Philippines’ advanced expertise, particularly in ‘milkfish’ breeding technology.
Both sides also emphasized the importance of labour sector cooperation, with Sri Lanka
recognizing the Philippines’ global leadership in migration governance.
Discussions highlighted the need for the early conclusion of the draft MoU on Labour Cooperation, as
well as knowledge sharing on pre-departure preparation, regulated recruitment and
deployment and welfare of migrant workers. Opportunities to expand collaboration in
education and technical training were also welcomed, especially through partnerships with the Philippines’ Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The two countries expressed readiness to enhance trade and investment cooperation
particularly through collaboration between the Export Development Board of Sri Lanka
and the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), of the
Philippines
