SL, Australia hold talks on combatting transnational crimes

Sri Lanka and Australia discussed possible areas for future collaboration focusing on defence and combatting transnational crimes, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

The areas were discussed at the Second Round of Senior Officials’ Talks held between the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry and the Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade Department in Canberra on Thursday.

Science & Technology, Agriculture, Trade & Investment, Development issues, and Regional Cooperation were also discussed as possible areas for future collaboration.

The Senior Officials’ Talks is a structured platform to review the bilateral relations between the two countries and to discuss regional and international issues of common interest and concern.

The discussions broadly focussed on the development partnership, trade and economic cooperation, people to people contacts, reconciliation and human rights, transnational crime and human smuggling, defence cooperation and maritime issues as well as the cooperation between the two Foreign Ministries.

First Assistant Secretary, South and West Asia Division, Kathy Klugman led the Australian delegation.

The Sri Lankan delegation was headed by Additional Secretary Sumith Nakanandala and included Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia S. Skandakumar, Director General of External Resources Department Priyantha Ratnayake, Director General, East Asia and Pacific Division of the Foreign Ministry Kapila Jayaweera.