1. Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera of Sri Lanka will make an official visit to the Republic of Korea from March 10 to 12.

° The forthcoming visit will mark the first of its kind by a Sri Lankan Foreign Minister since the launch of the new government in Sri Lanka in January 2015.

2. On March 11, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se will hold a meeting and a working luncheon with Foreign Minister Samaraweera, where the two top diplomats will discuss matters of mutual concern across the board, including the situations on the Korean Peninsula and in South Asia and ways to work together on political affairs, economy, employment and development cooperation.

° In particular, as Minister of Foreign Employment Thalatha Atukorale will accompany the Foreign Minister to the ROK, the two sides will also discuss ways to work more closely together on employment matters.

3. The upcoming official visit of Foreign Minister Samaraweera to the ROK is expected to serve as an opportunity ahead of the 40th anniversary of the ROK-Sri Lanka diplomatic relations in 2017 to review the progress in the ROK-Sri Lanka relations and to discuss in depth a future vision for the bilateral relations for the next 40 years and specific ways to work together to attain it.


* unofficial translation