Sri Lanka and Israel conduct bilateral consultations

The first ever bilateral consultations between the Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel were held at the Ministry of External Affairs in Colombo on 20th April, 2012.

Secretary/External Affairs of Sri Lanka Karunatilaka Amunugama and the Deputy Director General and Head of Asia and the Pacific Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel Ruth Kahanoff headed the respective delegations at bilateral consultations.

The two sides discussed ways and means of promoting bilateral relations and opportunities for further cooperation in a range of fields such as agriculture, tourism, trade, employment, etc.  They also expressed confidence that the annual consultations will provide a solid platform to further strengthen their multifaceted relations and promote closer economic cooperation for mutual benefit. The Israeli side also agreed to offer more employment opportunities for Sri Lankans.

Secretary/External Affairs was joined in the discussions by senior officials from several line Ministries and Agencies. DeputyDirector General for Asia and the Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Ms. Ruth Kahanoff, headed the Israeli delegation, which comprised of the Israeli Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alon Ushpiz, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel.