(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry Spokesman)
For the first time since the renewal of diplomatic relations with Sri Lanka in May 2000, a political dialogue was held at the beginning of November in the capital Colombo, with the participation of Israel Foreign Ministry Deputy Director-General for Asia and the Pacific Amos Nadai, Israeli Ambassador in India David Danieli, accredited to Sri Lanka, and the Director of the ministry's Southeast Asia Department.
The Israeli delegation met with Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake of Sri Lanka, the Minister of Health, heads of the Foreign Ministry, leader of the opposition and others, to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues relevant to each of the states. Also on the agenda was the signing of two new agreements on culture and trade.
The Agriculture Minister of Sri Lanka, brother of the current President, was the first minister from his country to visit Israel in the framework of the Agritech 2006 exhibition. The Minister of Labor is scheduled to visit Israel during the next month, in light of the growing number of Sri Lankan foreign workers in Israel. The following weeks will also see the launching of a long-term Israeli training program for emergency medicine in Sri Lanka.