September 02, Colombo (LNW): Italy’s Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi, is set to embark on an official visit to Sri Lanka from September 03 to 05, 2025—an engagement hailed as the most senior Italian diplomatic visit to the island nation in nearly ten years.
The visit comes at a time of renewed interest in expanding bilateral cooperation between Sri Lanka and Italy, with both countries seeking to reinvigorate their longstanding diplomatic ties, first established in 1952.
It is expected to lay the foundation for a deeper and more structured dialogue on a range of political, economic, and cultural issues.
One of the key highlights of the Deputy Minister’s visit will be her role as co-chair of the first-ever session of the Sri Lanka–Italy Political Consultations. She will lead discussions alongside Sri Lanka’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment, Arun Hemachandra.
The meeting is set to formalise regular diplomatic engagement between the two nations and marks the beginning of what officials describe as a “new institutional chapter” in bilateral relations.
A Memorandum of Understanding is scheduled to be signed during the visit, establishing a formal mechanism for ongoing political consultations. The agreement is expected to serve as a strategic framework for dialogue and cooperation across a range of sectors, including trade, investment, education, and people-to-people exchange.
Deputy Minister Tripodi is also due to pay courtesy calls on senior government figures, including Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. These meetings are anticipated to provide an opportunity for candid exchanges on regional and global developments, whilst also exploring avenues for strengthening collaboration in areas of mutual interest.
