Sri Lanka, Australia discuss CHOGM arrangements NTS

Saturday, 26 October 2013 07:35 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

As Australia, the current Chair of the Commonwealth, prepares to hand over to Sri Lanka at the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November, External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris held bilateral discussions with Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Julie Bishop, on the sidelines of the Cyberspace Conference in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on Thursday.

The two Ministers discussed the arrangements being completed for this major event in Sri Lanka. They also surveyed the progress with the Joint Working Group on illicit migration. A particular focus of the discussion was the revamped Colombo Plan program which the Government of Australia was working on, and increased collaboration in the business and industrial sector. The Foreign Ministers of Sri Lanka and Australia shared their views on the Bali Process and the work of the Indian Ocean Rim Association. Prof. Peiris briefed his Australian counterpart on the Galle Dialogue taking place towards the end of November and the importance of its deliberations in the context of maritime security and transnational commerce. The two Ministers discussed in detail the plans for the Business Forum designed to focus attention on Sri Lanka as a hub for international shipping, aviation, knowledge based industry and the energy sector.