Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry, who is currently in Russia to take part in the BRICS ministerial meeting has met with the Foreign Ministers of Thailand, China, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Iran and Russia and discussed bilateral relations.

During a bilateral discussion, Minister Sabry has congratulated his newly appointed Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa, and agreed to work together to carry forward the decisions agreed when the Prime Minister of Thailand during his visit to Colombo.

Posting on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), the Sri Lankan FM stated that in a separate meeting, the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to continue to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Sri Lanka, which is multifaceted.

Sabry, who also met Belarus FM Sergei Aleinik on the sidelines of the BRICS ministerial meeting, have discussed the areas of education, trade, investment and tourism promotion in both countries. 

“We further agreed to immediately resume foreign office and trade consultations”, he added.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and Sri Lankan FM have had fruitful discussions on strengthening our bilateral relationship, Ali Sabry said, highlighting that Sri Lanka will establish its first mission in Central Asia in Astana soon. 

Sri Lanka has reaffirmed commitment to strengthening the partnership with Iran as agreed by the leadership, when the Sri Lankan FM met with Dr. Ali Bagheri Kani, the acting Iranian Foreign Minister. “Looking forward to continued collaboration between Iran and Sri Lanka”, FM Ali Sabry said on ‘X’.

Additionally, the Sri Lankan FM Sabry has had a discussion with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS Ministers conference. They have reviewed the bilateral relationship, agreed to enhance cooperation, and addressed issues concerning ex-Sri Lankan servicemen in the Russian military. 

“No further recruitment of ex-servicemen for combat duties will occur”, Minister Ali Sabry assured.

The BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs/International Relations met on 10 June 2024 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, where they exchanged views on major global and regional trends and issues.