Press Releases
Courtesy Call on President Wickremesinghe of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka by Foreign Minister Hayashi
May 25, 2023
On May 25, commencing at 4:50 p.m. for approximately 25 minutes, Mr. HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, who was visiting Japan to attend the Nikkei Forum 28th “Future of Asia.” The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Hayashi expressed his pleasure to meet with President Wickremesinghe again since the previous courtesy call in September 2022 and welcomed the further deepening of relations between Japan and Sri Lanka, which celebrated the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations last year. Furthermore, Minister Hayashi expressed Japan’s intention to continue to cooperate with Sri Lanka, which is an important partner in realizing a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP).” In response, President Wickremesinghe expressed his intention to develop bilateral relations further.
- Minister Hayashi stated the need for debt restructuring and the importance of implementing development finance in a transparent and comparable manner, in response to which President Wickremesinghe expressed his gratitude for Japan’s contributions to discussions regarding Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring.
- Minister Hayashi and President Wickremesinghe also exchanged views on regional affairs and global challenges.