Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath held bilateral talks with New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters in Wellington on Wednesday afternoon — the substantive diplomatic engagement of his New Zealand visit.
In a post on X, Herath said he thanked Peters for the invitation extended for the official visit and for hosting his delegation to lunch. He described the talks as a “very constructive discussion” spanning political, trade, sports and governance matters, as well as the Sri Lankan community in New Zealand.
“We also exchanged views regarding the current global and regional developments and their impact,” Herath added.
Peters, who is also New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, leads the foreign affairs portfolio in the Wellington government.
The meeting followed the ceremonial start to Herath’s visit, when he became the first Sri Lankan Foreign Minister to receive a traditional Māori Pōwhiri welcome at New Zealand’s foreign ministry. He had earlier met Speaker Gerry Brownlee for talks on trade, education and parliamentary cooperation.
Herath is undertaking an official visit to New Zealand and Australia from May 26 to June 3 at the invitation of both governments. A centrepiece of the New Zealand leg is the opening of Sri Lanka’s first High Commission in Wellington. During the visit he also announced that Sri Lanka had surpassed one million tourist arrivals for 2026. He is due to hold further talks with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
