Colombo (LNW): UK’s Indo-Pacific Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan is on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka, marking 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
This is her inaugural trip to Sri Lanka in this capacity.
Trevelyan highlighted the UK’s commitment to the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Ministerial hosted by Sri Lanka, emphasising collaborative programmes on climate mitigation, biodiversity, and the Glasgow Pact from COP26.
She praised the UK-Sri Lanka partnership on climate action, peace-building, and human rights and expressed a desire to boost security in the Indian Ocean region.
Trevelyan will be meeting key Sri Lankan officials, including President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, to discuss bilateral ties, climate finance, human rights, and justice reforms.
Her itinerary also includes a trip to Jaffna in the Northern Province to interact with regional representatives and inspect a UK-supported demining project.
Following Sri Lanka, Trevelyan will proceed to India to further the UK’s Indo-Pacific relations.