COLOMBO ; Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri called on Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment
and Tourism, Vijitha Herath today (04 November) and discussed a range of matters of
mutual interest for the two countries.
The UAE State Minister is in Sri Lanka as the leader of the UAE delegation for the second session of the Joint Commission between Sri Lanka and UAE FC being held in Colombo.
During the discussion, Minister Herath noted that the 2nd Session of the Joint Commission
signifies the strengthened high-level engagement between the two nations, following on
President Anura Kumara Disanayaka’s visit to the UAE for the World Government Summit
in February 2025. This was followed by an official visit to Sri Lanka by the Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE in April 2025.
The UAE State Minister expressed strong optimism regarding the future trajectory of the
bilateral partnership and noted that the productive discussions at the Joint Commission
session will pave the way for greater cooperation including more high-level exchanges.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening ties across key sectors. The
primary focus of the discussions was on economic and investment cooperation and tourism
including attracting increased UAE capital for infrastructure and development projects in
Sri Lanka. Z
The two Ministers also explored ways to enhance bilateral trade, labour and
foreign employment — especially the welfare and protection of the large Sri Lankan
expatriate community in the UAE— and foster collaboration in various other areas for
