COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is looking to enter new agreements with Oman to consolidate bilateral collaboration after a recent round of political consultations with the Gulf state.The foreign ministries of Sri Lanka and Oman held earlier this week the third session of their bilateral political consultations, which were first established in 2014 to strengthen ties between the two countries.The virtual meeting took place between Sri Lanka’s delegation led by Additional Secretary for Consular, Middle East and Africa Affairs U. L. M. Jauhar and Oman’s delegation headed by Department of International CooperationChief Sheikh Hamad bin Saif Al-Rawahi.Colombo’s Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman Sabarullah Khan and senior officials from both sides also participated in the discussions, which the Sri Lankan foreign ministry said were focused on broadening the existing areas of cooperation and entering into new bilateral agreements.”Several new initiatives in the spheres of agriculture, tourism, education, fisheries, trade, investment, employment promotion, vocational training, skills development and culture were discussed at the meeting,” Jauhar told Arab News.
With about 30,000 Sri Lankans living and working in Oman, he said the two countries enjoyed “long-standing bilateral relations and excellent people-to-people contacts,” as Sri Lankan nationals have been contributing to the development of Oman “in multiple sectors.”Sri Lanka and Oman established their diplomatic relations in 1981, but contacts between their peoples have a longer history.”Sri Lanka-Oman relations go far back in history, and the two nations are bound by a vibrant tradition of people-to-people contacts. As countries sharing the Indian Ocean, they are well poised for greater cooperation to encompass many areas of mutual interest,” Ameer Ajwad, Colombo’s former ambassador to Muscat, told Arab News.He said that Oman is an “unexplored destination for Sri Lankans” and there is a great potential for cooperation.”Both countries have many potential commonalities that could be synergized for mutual benefits,” Ajwad added.”That is why it is important to have closer and more frequent interactions between the two countries to create greater awareness of the opportunities available to promote bilateral cooperation in the future.”