• Reconnecting with Latin America and Africa

Sri Lanka’s foreign policy has traditionally been shaped by its immediate neighbourhood, major Asian powers, the Middle East, Europe, and North America. Given our geography and history, this is understandable. India, China, Japan, the Gulf, Europe, and the US will inevitably remain important partners. 

But there is another part of the world where Sri Lanka has considerable room to expand its engagement: Latin America and Africa.

These regions should not be viewed as distant or peripheral to Sri Lanka’s interests. They are home to large economies, growing markets, important natural resources, emerging technological capabilities, significant political influence, and increasingly important voices in the Global South.

Recent exchanges with diplomatic representatives from Brazil and Sri Lanka’s diplomatic representatives responsible for Brazil and Latin America have reinforced an important observation: there is interest and willingness to do more. 

Over a number of conversations, ideas have been exchanged on how Sri Lanka could build stronger and more meaningful relationships with this part of the world. That should make us ask a larger question: are we doing enough to connect Sri Lanka with Latin America? The answer appears to be that there is considerable room to do more.

Brazil is more than another bilateral relationship

Brazil deserves particular attention. It is one of the world’s major emerging economies and a member of BRICS. For Sri Lanka, therefore, Brazil is not simply a market on the other side of the world. It is also a potential gateway into wider South-South cooperation. 

There is already evidence that both sides recognise the economic potential. In March, Sri Lanka and Brazil agreed to work towards increasing bilateral trade to $ 1 billion by 2030, while also identifying opportunities to broaden bilateral cooperation.

The question now is how we convert diplomatic goodwill into practical engagement. The opportunities are considerable: trade and investment, agriculture, food security, education, technology, tourism, renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, aviation, digital services, culture, and sports. Brazil also has considerable experience in areas relevant to Sri Lanka’s own national priorities. 

There is room for academic institutions, private sector organisations, think tanks, and government agencies to establish more structured links. The recent exchanges between the two countries suggest something important: the potential exists, but it needs to be activated.

Latin America is much larger than we sometimes imagine

One reason Sri Lanka may overlook Latin America is geographical distance. Distance, however, should no longer be a sufficient explanation in an interconnected global economy. 

The economic scale of the region is substantial. Brazil’s economy is approximately $ 2.64 trillion, while Mexico’s is approximately $ 2.12 trillion. Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Peru also represent substantial economies, with Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) of approximately $ 688 billion, $ 540 billion, $ 408 billion, and $ 381 billion, respectively. These are not marginal economies.

Brazil and Mexico alone represent enormous markets. Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Peru offer different economic strengths and opportunities. Venezuela, despite its economic difficulties, remains significant because of its energy resources and geopolitical relevance. 

Sri Lanka therefore needs a more systematic Latin American strategy rather than occasional diplomatic contacts. That strategy does not mean attempting to establish equally deep relations with every country. It means identifying areas where Sri Lankan capabilities and interests intersect with those of individual Latin American states.

Defence and security cooperation should also be considered

There is an additional dimension that deserves careful consideration: security cooperation. 

Sri Lanka has accumulated considerable experience in areas such as counterterrorism, peacekeeping, maritime security, disaster response, and the management of complex security environments. 

Countries in Latin America face different security challenges, including organised crime, narcotics trafficking, border security, and transnational criminal networks. The nature of these challenges is not identical to Sri Lanka’s past security experience, and Sri Lanka should not assume that one country’s solutions can simply be transferred to another.

However, there is value in exchanging experiences, professional knowledge, and institutional lessons. Military-to-military and police-to-police engagement, subject to government policy and appropriate safeguards, could therefore become another channel of cooperation. 

Such engagement should not be limited to traditional defence diplomacy. It could include disaster management, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, professional education, maritime security, and institutional exchanges. Countries such as Colombia could provide particularly interesting opportunities for professional exchanges on the security challenges posed by narcotics trafficking, organised crime, and other transnational threats. 

The objective should not be to export Sri Lankan solutions, but to exchange experience and learn from one another.

The maritime opportunity

For Sri Lanka, maritime affairs should be at the centre of any Latin American strategy. Sri Lanka sits close to one of the world’s most important maritime routes. Latin America contains major Atlantic and Pacific maritime economies and some of the world’s most important ports, shipping routes, fisheries, and natural resources. 

There is therefore potential for cooperation in port management, shipping, maritime logistics, maritime education, ocean governance, fisheries, ship services, and the wider blue economy. This is particularly relevant at a time when Sri Lanka is attempting to strengthen its position as an Indian Ocean maritime hub. 

The conversation should not be confined to governments. Sri Lankan chambers, shipping organisations, ports, universities, think tanks, and private companies should be encouraged to establish institutional relationships with their counterparts in Latin America.

Technology, education and culture

Economic diplomacy today is no longer simply about exporting goods. Technology, education, and human capital are equally important. 

Sri Lanka has opportunities to cooperate with Latin American universities, technology companies, research institutions, and innovation ecosystems. Student exchanges, joint research, scholarships, digital learning, artificial intelligence, agriculture technology, biotechnology, and entrepreneurship could create long-term relationships that conventional diplomacy alone cannot achieve. 

Culture can also become a powerful bridge. Sri Lanka’s tourism industry should look beyond traditional markets. Latin America offers millions of potential travellers, while Sri Lanka has a distinctive cultural, historical, and natural tourism proposition. 

The same principle applies in reverse. Sri Lankans should have greater exposure to Latin American culture, music, literature, cinema, cuisine, and academic thought. People-to-people relationships often create the foundation for stronger state-to-state relationships.

And then there is Africa

If Latin America is under-engaged, Africa may be even more neglected in Sri Lanka’s strategic thinking. Sri Lanka does have diplomatic representation in important African locations, including South Africa and Kenya. But representation alone is not enough. 

Africa is undergoing major economic and demographic transformation. It is a region of more than a billion people, substantial natural resources, expanding markets, and rapidly developing economic sectors. 

Sri Lanka should therefore look seriously at countries such as South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and others, not simply as diplomatic destinations but as economic, educational, technological, and strategic partners. Africa should not be viewed through an outdated lens.

A changing Global South

The wider geopolitical environment makes this engagement even more important. China has invested heavily in relationships across Africa and the developing world. Other major powers are also seeking stronger economic and strategic relationships with African and Latin American countries. 

It would be simplistic, however, to portray this as a competition in which Sri Lanka must choose sides. Sri Lanka’s interest should be different. We should develop multiple relationships based on national interest. 

The Global South is becoming more significant in international economic and political affairs. BRICS is one manifestation of this changing landscape. Sri Lanka should not remain primarily an observer of this transformation.

Moving beyond the comfort zone

The most important requirement is perhaps a change in mindset. Our foreign policy institutions cannot operate only within familiar geographical and diplomatic circles. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other Government agencies, chambers of commerce, universities, think tanks, and the private sector should collectively identify regions where Sri Lanka has untapped opportunities. 

A practical approach could be to establish dedicated Sri Lanka–Latin America and Sri Lanka–Africa engagement programmes. These need not begin with large bureaucratic structures. They could begin with business delegations, academic exchanges, parliamentary and diplomatic dialogues, defence and security exchanges, tourism promotion, maritime forums, technology partnerships, and regular consultations between think tanks. 

Sri Lanka could also consider organising annual forums bringing together diplomats, business leaders, academics, security professionals, and policymakers from these regions. The objective should be simple: turn distant relationships into working relationships.

A new map of opportunity

Sri Lanka’s geographical location will always make South Asia and the Indian Ocean central to our foreign policy. But geography should determine our starting point, not our limits.

Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and other Latin American countries offer economic and diplomatic opportunities that deserve greater attention. Africa, with its enormous demographic potential, resources, markets, and emerging economic sectors, deserves the same. This is not about abandoning traditional partners. It is about expanding our network. 

Sri Lanka is a small country, but small countries cannot afford small visions. The new generation of foreign policy must be more outward-looking, commercially connected, and strategically diversified. It must bring together diplomacy, trade, investment, defence cooperation, technology, education, tourism, culture, and maritime affairs. 

There appears to be willingness among diplomatic representatives to deepen these relationships. What is needed now is a more deliberate and sustained national effort to transform that willingness into practical cooperation. 

Sri Lanka should step outside its comfort zone. Latin America and Africa should no longer be distant points on the map. They should become part of Sri Lanka’s strategic conversation.

(The writer is the Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Shipping, a former Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies [INSS], and a former Spokesman of the Ministry of Defence. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the London Dialogue. His areas of expertise include international relations, geopolitics, maritime affairs, national security, economic policy, and strategic governance. He is also a Consultant of the JITT Group).

(The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication)