Sri Lanka (Commonwealth Union)_ According to the foreign ministry, Sri Lanka is all set to host the highly significant Council of Ministers Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) on October 11, an event set to draw the participation of senior leaders from 16 nations, including India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar. This gathering, convened by the IORA, represents the apex decision-making body within the organization, which stands as the largest and foremost entity in the Indian Ocean Region, boasting 23 member states and 10 dialogue partners.
During this meeting, Sri Lanka is poised to take up the mantle of chairmanship for the 2023–2025 term, an honor to be formally conferred at the 23rd Council of Ministers’ Meeting to be convened in Colombo. According to the statement from the foreign ministry, among the distinguished participants, Minister Jaishankar will represent India, and the event will witness the attendance of 16 ministers in total, including foreign ministers from nations such as Bangladesh, India, Iran, Mauritius, Malaysia, and South Africa. It stated, “The Council of Ministers meeting in Colombo will see the participation of 16 ministers, including the foreign ministers of Bangladesh, India, Iran, Mauritius, Malaysia, and South Africa”.
According to the foreign ministry, the forthcoming Council of Ministers Meeting in Colombo will serve as a platform for high-level deliberations, bringing together not only the foreign ministers of member countries, including Australia, Comoros, France, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mozambique, Oman, the Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, but also involving dialogue partners, including China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Turkey, the UK, and the United States of America.
The agenda of this gathering will center on cooperative measures across six key priority areas, encompassing trade and investment, maritime safety and security, fisheries management, disaster risk management, and the blue economy. Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, will preside over the Council as it transitions from the leadership of Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister, A. K. Abdul Momen, to his Sri Lankan counterpart. During their visit, the participating ministers will collectively call on President Ranil Wickremesinghe and engage in bilateral discussions with Foreign Minister Sabry, as well as other ministers, in an effort to foster closer ties and cooperation during their stay in Sri Lanka.
