Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath has concluded a run of bilateral meetings on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, closing a programme that paired economic-recovery messaging with Sri Lanka’s long-standing peacekeeping record, Hiru News reported.
Herath, who also holds the foreign employment and tourism portfolios, met six counterparts and senior UN officials.
The Secretary-General
In talks with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Herath briefed him on Sri Lanka’s progress in economic recovery and reform. The discussion also covered reconciliation, Sri Lanka’s contribution to UN peacekeeping, and restructuring of the international financial architecture to support developing countries — the last a standing Sri Lankan position in the post-default period, and the one item on the list with direct bearing on the country’s debt position.
Peacekeeping, twice
Two of the six meetings were about peacekeeping, which is the clearest through-line in the programme.
With Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Herath reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s support for international peacekeeping and updated him on the progress of the National Human Rights Review Mechanism — the domestic accountability body whose standing is directly relevant to the vetting of Sri Lankan troops for UN deployment.
With Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare, he thanked the UN for operational support extended to Sri Lankan peacekeepers and to Security Council-mandated missions.
Bilaterals
- United Arab Emirates — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Trade, investment, tourism and labour, together with the welfare of the Sri Lankan community in the UAE, a significant destination for Sri Lankan migrant workers.
- Nepal — Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal. Shared priorities, closer cooperation and joint work on common climate challenges. Herath conveyed Sri Lanka’s solidarity following Nepal’s recent severe floods, after which Sri Lanka sent disaster assistance and offered Bailey bridge expertise.
- Iran — Foreign Minister Dr Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Herath restated Sri Lanka’s position on de-escalating regional tensions and resolving disputes through dialogue. That meeting was reported separately on 29 September.
What the account does not settle
Hiru’s report is a summary of the full programme rather than a filing on any one meeting, and it gives no dates for the individual engagements, no outcomes or agreements, and no indication of whether any further bilaterals took place. No other verified newsroom had carried a wrap of the visit at the time of writing; the Foreign Ministry’s own readouts remain the primary record for the individual meetings.
