Sri Lanka’s Representative to the State of Palestine, Farook Mohamed Fawzer, paid a courtesy call on the Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Dr Laila Ghannam, at the Governorate headquarters on Monday (7).

The meeting reaffirmed the longstanding friendship between Sri Lanka and Palestine while exploring avenues to strengthen diplomatic, economic, educational, and cultural cooperation. Reiterating Sri Lanka’s five-decade commitment to the Palestinian cause, Fawzer highlighted support for ongoing multilateral efforts to uphold international law and promote a peaceful resolution.

Focusing on practical initiatives for youth empowerment, the envoy announced Sri Lanka’s interest in reinitiating the Sri Lanka Vocational Training (VT) Institute Project in Ramallah. He also reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s continued support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and humanitarian aid, particularly for the Gaza Strip.

To expand economic ties, Fawzer briefed Dr Ghannam on the upcoming Sri Lanka Expo scheduled for 2027, emphasizing closer engagement with PalTrade and the Palestinian Chambers of Commerce to foster business-to-business linkages, tourism, and wider market access.

Expressing her appreciation for Sri Lanka’s consistent political and humanitarian solidarity, Dr Ghannam welcomed deeper trade and development cooperation. Both parties concluded the meeting with a shared commitment to further advance bilateral relations, vocational training initiatives, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.