Bhutan, Sri Lanka sign MoU to enhance cooperation

Bhutan and Sri Lanka have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for continued bilateral consultation to enhance cooperation between the two South Asian countries in various areas.

The two countries through MoU agreed to enhance and strengthen the friendly relations and pave the way to initiate new avenues of cooperation and engagement in mutually agreed fields including through exchange of views on political, economic, cultural and educational cooperation and on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The two sides agreed to establish a mechanism at the Foreign Secretaries’ level to hold consultations on an annual basis, alternately in Colombo and Thimphu and exchange views on bilateral matters and on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The MoU mandates for establishing expert and working groups for consultations of specific issues by mutual consent of the parties in case so required.

The Secretary to Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chitranganee Wagiswara signed the MoU on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka while Ambassador Sonam T. Rabgye, Acting Foreign Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan signed the agreement on behalf of the Government of Bhutan.

The MoU was signed following the discussions between Prime Minister Tshering Tobga and Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo on Friday. The two leaders presided over the signing ceremony.