COLOMBO : Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath concluded a successful two-day official visit to Romania from March 1-2, 2026.
A key highlight of the visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Sri Lanka and Romania on Labour Cooperation. During the visit, Minister Herath met the Minister of Labour, Family, Youth, and Social Solidarity of Romania, Petre-Florin Manole; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Oana-Silvia Ţoiu and Minister of Economy, Digitization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism of Romania Ambrozie-Irineu Darău.
The visit underscored the growing commitment between Sri Lanka and Romania to strengthen cooperation in key areas aligned with the development goals of both nations. Areas such as labour migration, trade, exports, and tourism were key topics that featured during the official discussions. During the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Oana Ţoiu, the two Ministers expressed satisfaction with the status of the bilateral relationship and agreed that there is further scope to expand the relationship.
Specific focus was placed on preparations for the 6th round of bilateral political consultations, scheduled for this year. Minister Ţoiu noted the strong people-to-people contacts between the two countries and appreciated the contribution made by the Sri Lankans employed in Romania, which was beneficial for both countries. Minister Herath thanked Romania for hosting the Sri Lankan community and for taking action to expedite the issuance of work visas for Sri Lankans, thus reducing the long waiting time. He requested Minister Ţoiu to consider an amnesty for undocumented Sri Lankans in Romania who have become victims of unscrupulous job agents.
Minister Herath thanked Minister Ţoiu for Romania’s assistance to Sri Lanka within the EU framework and sought Romania’s support for Sri Lanka to continue receiving the EU’s GSP Plus facility. The Ministers noted that the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Romania will be marked in 2027, and agreed to organize events to commemorate the anniversary. Minister Herath invited Minister Ţoiu to visit Sri Lanka at a mutually convenient time, which was accepted. After their meeting, the two Ministers addressed the media, outlining the steps discussed to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Sri Lanka and Romania.
The Minister of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity of Romania Petre-Florin also noted the contribution made by Sri Lankans to the growth of Romania’s economy. He said that foreign workers in Romania have the same rights as the Romanian workers. The two sides discussed addressing key issues such as ensuring the safety of migrant workers and upholding labour rights. At his meeting with Minister of Economy, Digitization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism of Romania Ambrozie-Irineu Darău, Minister Herath noted that the total bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Romania was only 42 million USD in 2025 and that there is scope to increase this trade volume.
Minister Herath invited Romanian investors to invest in Sri Lanka’s tourism sector and the two Ministers agreed to conclude at the earliest the proposed MoU on Tourism Cooperation. Noting that about 6,000 tourists from Romania had visited Sri Lanka in 2025, Minister Herath encouraged more tourists from Romania to visit Sri Lanka. The two Ministers also discussed ways in which the two countries could collaborate in digitization. The Sri Lankan delegation at the meetings included Samantha Pathirana, Ambassador-Designate of Sri Lanka to Romania and Prarthana Kaushalya Govinda, Counselor of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Bucharest.
