RUZAIK FAROOK
COLOMBO — Australia’s Special Envoy for Indian Ocean Affairs, Tim Watts MP, has concluded his visit to Sri Lanka, reaffirming Australia’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with Sri Lanka and advancing cooperation across the Indian Ocean region. The visit highlighted the breadth of the Australia–Sri Lanka partnership and the importance of strong regional ties in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indian Ocean.
Mr Watts met with Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne, where they discussed common challenges for the media sector and opportunities for enhanced bilateral cooperation. Mr Watts toured the South Asia Gateway Terminal at the Port of Colombo to gain insight into the key maritime and economic role Sri Lanka plays as a regional transshipment hub, and the shared interests Australia and Sri Lanka have in maritime connectivity. In the afternoon, Mr Watts attended a ceremonial handover of two inflatable rescue boats to the Disaster Management Centre and disaster assessment drones, soon to follow, for the
National Building Research Institute, which will strengthen Sri Lanka’s disaster preparedness and emergency response capability. This practical support forms part of Australia’s AUD 7 million humanitarian and recovery package. During a media interview at the handover event, Mr Watts expressed Australia’s sympathies for the recent escalation of mosquito-borne dengue cases in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah and announced that Australia would commit AUD 2
million of development assistance funding to support the proposed Sri Lanka Wolbachia Project for dengue control.
Mr Watts also met co-chair of the Australia-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group, S.M. Marikkar, and founder of Pathfinder Foundation, Milinda Moragoda, to discuss opportunities to strengthen the bilateral relationship and regional dynamics in the Indian Ocean.
The visit was Mr Watts’ second visit to Sri Lanka. In his previous role as Assistant Foreign Minister, he visited Sri Lanka in October 2023 to represent Australia at the 23rd meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association Council of Ministers meeting.
