Sri Lanka and France held the second round of their bilateral political consultations virtually on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism said in a statement reported by Ada Derana.
The session was co-chaired by Director-General of the Europe and North America Division of the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, and Director for Asia and Oceania in the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Benoit Guidee. It built on the inaugural round of consultations held in Colombo in October 2023, the Ministry said.
The two delegations reviewed bilateral political engagements, maritime and defence cooperation, and cooperation on trade, tourism and development, and discussed prospects for stronger education and people-to-people links. Sri Lanka conveyed its appreciation for “generous humanitarian assistance” extended by France following Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025, and the French side noted that “French investors have given a vote of confidence” for Sri Lanka through flagship investments.
Both sides recognised the establishment of the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies (RCMS) as a significant achievement of the bilateral track and “explored avenues to further strengthen this cooperation”, drawing on France’s integrated approach to ocean governance and institutional coordination, the Ministry said. The RCMS, hosted in Sri Lanka, has been one of the more visible deliverables of French ocean-governance support to the Indian Ocean region.
The consultations also covered shared priorities on climate change and ocean governance. Sri Lanka underscored its ratification of the BBNJ Agreement — the international treaty on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction — and welcomed France’s support in advancing implementation. Both delegations discussed regional and global developments and reaffirmed commitments to the UN Charter, international law and multilateral cooperation.
The Sri Lankan delegation included senior Foreign Ministry officials along with the Chargé d’Affaires of Sri Lanka’s Embassy in Paris and other embassy officials. The Ministry did not announce a date for the third round of consultations.
