COLOMBO: The Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka will visit Iran from August 4-7, a major step to bolster bilateral ties.
Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry is visiting Iran on a special invitation from Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
During the visit, the Sri Lankan foreign minister will talk with his Iranian counterpart and other senior officials to strengthen ties between the two states.
He would also meet the President of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi.
He is scheduled to make a special speech at the Institute of Political and International Studies of Iran.
Sri Lanka and Iran established their diplomatic ties in 1961 through Sri Lankan embassy in Islamabad.
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In June this year, Iranian Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian said that Iranian experts were working on a project to construct a 120-MW megawatt power plant, and the work was in its final stages.
Iran has also sponsored various development projects in Sri Lanka, including Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project and a 90-100 MW hydroelectric power plant.
Iran is also supporting the Sri Lankan oil Industry through investments in its Oil refineries which helped the country to enhance its oil production capacity.
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Due to these projects, Iran has become the largest donor to Sri Lanka.
During the Civil war in Sri Lanka, the country’s government sought loans from Iran to procure electronic surveillance aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles after the Tamil Tigers attacks.
