I look forward to welcoming the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, to Australia from 24 – 26 May.
This will be the first time a Sri Lankan Head of State has made a state visit to Australia and builds on Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s successful visit in February.
2017 marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Sri Lanka. Our deep and enduring friendship is anchored in shared history as Commonwealth countries and through our shared interests as Indian Ocean nations.
President Sirisena’s visit will be an opportunity to advance key areas of bilateral cooperation, including education, defence, science and technology, economic development, medical research and the fight against people smuggling.
President Sirisena will visit Canberra and Sydney. I look forward to meeting with him on this important visit.