Sri Lanka has said the time is opportune to elevate its relations with Bangladesh to a higher level and pressed for an early state-level visit between the two countries to open new avenues of cooperation, Deputy Foreign Minister Arun Hemachandra told Bangladesh High Commissioner Andalib Elias during a farewell call in Colombo on Monday.
According to a Foreign Ministry press release cited by Ada Derana, Deputy Minister Hemachandra appreciated the Bangladeshi envoy’s contribution to strengthening bilateral relations during his tenure in Colombo and expressed satisfaction with the progress achieved in cooperation between the two countries. He said Dhaka and Colombo should seize the opportunity to further advance their partnership through enhanced political engagement and high-level exchanges, particularly stressing the need for arranging a state-level visit between the two countries at an early date.
High Commissioner Elias reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and expanding engagement with Sri Lanka in areas of mutual interest, and thanked the Deputy Foreign Minister for his personal support, guidance and goodwill throughout his diplomatic assignment.
The push for a state-level visit lifts the South Asian neighbours’ agenda beyond the issue-by-issue tracks that have dominated their recent diplomacy — among them Sri Lanka’s tourism push into the Bangladeshi outbound market and Dhaka’s recent humanitarian gestures such as the release of six Sri Lankan fishermen detained by Bangladesh authorities. It also follows a string of trade and policy meetings Hemachandra has anchored in recent weeks, including his roundtable with EU business representatives in Colombo and his cultural-heritage diplomacy address in Colombo last month.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka maintain close historical ties as founding members of SAARC and have expanded engagement in tourism, textiles, banking and pharmaceuticals. No specific dates for a presidential or prime-ministerial visit were disclosed in Monday’s readout.
