Ryzhenkov: Belarus and Sri Lanka Can Take Relations to a New Level

Belarus and Sri Lanka can take relations to a new level. This was stated by Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov at a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism of Sri Lanka.

Maxim Ryzhenkov assured his counterpart of Belarus's readiness to facilitate Sri Lanka's socioeconomic development, both through increased supplies of fertilizers and equipment and through personnel training.

Maxim Ryzhenkov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus:

"Such work is already underway, for example, in the training of Sri Lankan medical specialists. Overall, I would like to say that nearly 3,000 students, postgraduates, and specialists are currently studying in our country. We are very proud that the Sri Lankan side has chosen the Republic of Belarus and highly values the level of our education. We are ready to expand the scope of our cooperation and invite our partners to consider study options at Belarusian universities in many other specialties."

The Minister also noted a key area of cooperation: tourism, which received a significant boost with the opening of direct flights between Belarus and Sri Lanka last year.

Today, the Sri Lankan side announced that Belarusian tourists will be granted free visas starting May 25. The meeting participants agreed to intensify bilateral political contacts and prepare for a meeting of the joint Belarusian-Sri Lankan commission on trade and economic cooperation by the end of the year.