(LANKAPUVATH | COLOMBO) – The 2nd Round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Sri Lanka and Georgia was convened in Tbilisi on 19th June 2023. State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tharaka Balasuriya headed the Sri Lanka delegation while the Georgian Delegation was led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Khvtisiashvili.
Discussions centred on the multifaceted nature of the relations between the two countries including opportunities for collaboration in tourism, education, construction, renewable energy and IT sector.
Training for Georgians in Sri Lankan hotel schools, possible foreign employment opportunities for Sri Lankans in Georgia, and education for Sri Lankan students in Georgia, particularly in the field of medical studies were looked at during the consultations.
In view of the potential for further enhancing economic relations and people-to-people links between the two countries, State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya invited Georgia to consider opening up a diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka.
On the sidelines of the main meeting, State Minister also had discussions with Georgia’s Innovation Technology Agency (GITA) and the National Tourism Administration and visited a state-of-the-art coffee manufacturing plant. He also met with the Head of Georgian American University and entrepreneurs from the Georgian business community. During the State Minister’s meeting with Gela Geladze, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, both discussed avenues of cooperation in the education and skills development sectors.
The Sri Lanka delegation was comprised of the Ambassador of Sri Lanka resident in Türkiye and accredited to Georgia, Hasanthi Urugodawatte Dissanayake and Director, Europe and North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Madusanka Jayasinghe. Meanwhile from the Georgian Foreign Office, Director and Head for Department for Asia-Pacific, Ambassador Alexander Nalbandov, Counsellor at the International Law Department, Christina Tamoeva and Counsellor at the Department of Asia-Pacific, Merab Chachuawere associated with the meeting.
Nino Makhviladze, Honorary Consul for Sri Lanka in Georgia too was associated with severalside-line meetings.
