By NNN-Govt Portal
Colombo : Minister of Foreign Affaires, Rohitha Bogollagama will leave for Egypt to attend the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Middle East Dialogue (AMED).
The meeting will take place from 5th – 6th April 2008 at Sharam El Sheikh.
AMED is a high profile Summit which is expected to be attended by nearly 20 Ministers of Foreign Affairs, mainly from Asia and the Middle East as well as political dignitaries, senior policy makers, corporate leaders, diplomatic corps and intelligentsia among others.
The Summit was launched in Singapore in June 2005 with a vision to realize greater understanding between the Asia and the Middle East, at both governmental and non-governmental levels, as well as to foster a comprehensive mutually beneficial cooperation between the two regions.
Minister Bogollagama would be accompanied by a contingent of corporate captains of Sri Lanka, thus promoting economic diplomacy. The AMED would facilitate them to have one-to-one meetings and interaction with leading industrialists and business leaders, particularly, from the region of Middle East.
Minister would meet other counterpart ministers on the sidelines of the AMED to discuss issues of relevance and significance.
Minister Bogollagama is due to address the Second AMED on political and security issues and on economic issues. The economic issues would focus on expanding trade and investment between the two regions, cooperation between oil producers and consumers, and promoting tourism and service sectors.
The key objectives of this Summit are to initiate pragmatic programs for prioritized and select spheres of cooperation and to strengthen the cultural bonds between and among the peoples of Asia and the Middle East.
After the conclusion of the AMED, the Minister would leave to Cairo to call on the political leadership of Egypt.
The last bilateral visit of a Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka to Egypt was in 1998. The visit of Minister Bogollagama is expected to re-intensify the already close and congenial relations between the two countries.
Egypt is often described as an epicenter of culture, civilization, history and philosophy. Sri Lanka has maintained 60 years of diplomatic relations with Egypt, since her Independence.
Sri Lanka considers Egypt as a close ally and a leader in the Non-Aligned Movement. The late President Gamal’ Abdel Nasser played an instrumental and principal role in forging the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), along with other founding leaders of NAM.
This legacy of President Nasser was pursued by late President Anwar El Sadat and currently by President Hosni Mubarak.
During this visit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka is slated to call on the President, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Tourism of Egypt among others.
Minister Bogollagama is also scheduled to address on the subject of Counter Terrorism at the Asian Study Centre in Cairo.