France’s Europe and Foreign Affairs Secretary General visits SL for inauguration of Regional Centre for Maritime Studies

Monday, 16 December 2024 03:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Secretary General Anne-Marie Descôtes undertook an official visit to Sri Lanka from 10-11 December to attend the inauguration of the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) on 11 December.

The Regional Centre for Maritime Studies is a Sri Lanka-France bilateral initiative that aims to strengthen capacity and knowledge mainly in maritime safety and security. This collaboration demonstrates the shared interest of the two countries to strengthen cooperation in the maritime domain in the Indian Ocean, as Indian Ocean States and members of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).

During her short visit, the Secretary General had a courtesy meeting with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. They welcomed the continued upward trajectory in the Franco-Sri Lanka bilateral partnership, strengthened through high-level engagements and new initiatives in the pipeline.

Bilateral talks were also held between Secretary General Descôtes and her counterpart Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja on 11 December. They reiterated the shared commitment to further enhance the longstanding bilateral partnership through frequent interactions and dialogues between the two Foreign Ministries. The discussion also focused on a range of potential areas of mutual interest, including economic and development cooperation, maritime cooperation, climate change, and cooperation in the multilateral fora.

Concluding the visit, Secretary General Descôtes paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya. The need for strengthening engagement in sectors including education, vocational education, and sustainable tourism, were stressed at the meeting.

The French side invited Sri Lanka to participate at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) to be held in June 2025 in Nice, France at the highest-level.

The Secretary General was accompanied by a delegation of officials from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of France in Colombo. Senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence, and the Kotelawala Defence University were associated with these meetings.

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