Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath has begun a four-day official visit to Belarus from 12 to 15 May at the invitation of Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Tuesday.

The visit marks a milestone in bilateral relations a year after Sri Lanka and Belarus commemorated the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the Ministry said.

In Minsk, Herath is scheduled to call on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and hold bilateral discussions with FM Ryzhenkov. He will also meet the Ministers of Education and Health. Several memoranda of understanding and bilateral agreements are expected to be signed across multiple sectors during the visit, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Herath will address a business and tourism roundtable organised by the National Export Centre of Belarus, and is also scheduled to meet Sri Lankan students currently studying in Belarus.

The visit builds on Sri Lanka’s growing eastward diplomatic outreach. Sri Lanka’s Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake attended the St. Petersburg International Transport Forum at the end of March, where he held parallel bilateral talks with the Belarusian transport minister.

Belarus operates under Western sanctions related to the Ukraine war, but maintains active trade and political engagement with countries in South Asia, the Gulf and Africa.

Update (May 13): In a statement issued after his bilateral meeting with FM Ryzhenkov, Minister Herath said the two sides agreed to deepen cooperation in political, economic, educational, cultural and people-to-people affairs. They will hold regular political consultations and convene the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) on Trade and Economic Cooperation later this year. Herath framed the visit as marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Update (May 14): Daily FT confirmed that the Cabinet of Ministers, at its Monday sitting, formally approved the signing of three bilateral agreements with Belarus ahead of Herath’s return. The Cabinet cleared an Air Services Agreement between the two governments to enable enhanced aviation connectivity and potential air links; a Memorandum of Understanding on Higher Education Cooperation between the Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Ministry and Belarus’ Education Ministry; and an MoU on Health Cooperation between the two health ministries covering healthcare services, medical training and sector development.

Sources