The UAE and Sri Lanka activate their consular cooperation agreement and hold the first session of their Joint Consular Committee

The first session of the Consular Committee between the United Arab Emirates and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was held in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, chaired by H.E. Faisal Issa Lutfi, Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and H.E. U.L Mohammad Jauhar, Assistant Undersecretary for Consular Affairs and Political Affairs for the Middle East in the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The first session of the Consular Committee came in implementation of the consular cooperation agreement between the two countries, which was signed in February 2017 to boost and bolster cooperation in all joint consular fields for the care and service of the citizens of the two countries.

H.E. Faisal Eissa Lutfi stressed the importance of cooperation in the consular field and its role in advancing and strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, praising the positive developments achieved in bilateral consular relations and thanking all the efforts made by both sides to provide distinguished consular services to the citizens of the two countries.

In turn, H.E. U.L Mohammad Jauhar praised the pioneering position enjoyed by the UAE at the regional and international levels, and the vital role it plays at the economic and commercial levels, stressing the importance of activating this memorandum in strengthening consular cooperation frameworks at all levels.

H.E. Faisal Eissa Lutfi conveyed the greetings of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and his praise of the strong bilateral relations between the two countries in the consular field.

The two sides discussed a number of joint consular matters and plans to follow up and develop them, in addition to discussing means to enhance joint consular cooperation.

During the meeting, H.E. Faisal Eissa Lutfi affirmed the UAE's keenness and interest in strengthening and developing relations between the two countries, reflecting the aspirations and directions of the higher leadership. He added that the bilateral relations between the UAE and Sri Lanka witnessed qualitative shifts that directly contributed to the consolidation of these relations and their enhancement whether at the bilateral or at the global level.

For his part, H.E. U.L Mohammad Jauhar praised the development of bilateral relations between the two countries over the past years, especially in the field of consular cooperation, stressing that his country aspires to develop cooperation and exchange experiences with the UAE in this field, in a way that benefits the citizens of the two countries, and strengthens bilateral relations between the two friendly countries.

Representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company participated in the meeting, as well as representatives of the competent authorities in Sri Lanka.