“Sri Lanka is primed for tourism, trade and investment after having vaccinated 80% of its citizens and secured the country from threats” stated Public Security Minister Rear Admiral (Rtd) Dr Sarath Weerasekera to the UAE Minister of State Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Abu Dhabi on Dec 18, 2021.
Minister Weerasekera added, “President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s untiring efforts and commitment has created the environment for Sri Lanka to move from stability to prosperity.” Minister Ahmed said the economy of Sri Lanka will grow with government having mitigated the pandemic risk and secured Sri Lanka from security threats.
In response to Minister Weerasekera call for investments in Sri Lanka, Minister Ahmed said a UAE trade delegation will visit Sri Lanka shortly. He also said UAE look forward to the signing eight agreements including the bilateral security cooperation agreement.
The Sri Lankan delegation led by Minister Weerasekera discussed the security cooperation with the Interior Ministry and Dubai Police.
The delegations discussed the threats to the region after the return of the Taliban to Afghanistan. They discussed how to counter cascading extremist ideologies and disrupt the flow of narcotics.
The Sri Lanka delegation consisted of Minister’s Senior Advisor Narada Samarasinghe, Minister’s Private Secretary Maduranga Perera, and Minister’s Coordinating Secretary on Middle Eastern Affairs Seyed Ansar Maulana. Prof Rohan Gunaratna, Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies, State Ministry of National Security and Disaster Management joined the Public Security Ministry delegation.
The UAE delegation included Minister Ahmed’s chief of staff Sultan al Mansoori and West Asia Affairs Director Khaled Nasser Al Ameri. (Ministry of Public Security)