Sri Lanka and France have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations during the second round of Political Consultations held virtually on 9 June 2026.

The discussions were co-chaired by Sri Lanka’s Director-General of the Europe and North America Division, Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, and France’s Director for Asia & Oceania, Benoit Guidee.

Both sides reviewed progress in key areas of cooperation, including political engagement, maritime and defence cooperation, trade, tourism, and development. They also explored opportunities to expand collaboration in education and people-to-people exchanges.

Sri Lanka expressed gratitude to France for providing humanitarian assistance following Cyclone Ditwah, while both countries acknowledged increasing French investment and tourism in Sri Lanka.

The two sides also highlighted the importance of the Regional Centre for Maritime Studies and discussed further cooperation in ocean governance and climate change initiatives, including implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.

They further exchanged views on regional and global issues and reaffirmed their commitment to working together within the United Nations (UN) and other multilateral platforms based on international law and the UN Charter.

Senior officials from Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Sri Lankan Embassy in France also took part in the consultations.