Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka discuss expanding ties in energy, tourism and education

At the invitation of the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan’s non-resident ambassador to the country, Elchin Huseynli, paid a visit to the capital Colombo on February 4 to attend events marking Sri Lanka’s national holiday—Independence Day, Azernews reports, citing the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in India.

The visit included participation in a military parade and an official reception held in Colombo.

During the visit, Ambassador Huseynli held meetings with Sri Lanka’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, Vijitha Herath, as well as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra, Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja, and other senior officials.

The meetings highlighted a strong mutual interest in expanding bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka in political, economic and trade relations, as well as in the fields of energy, tourism, air connectivity and education.

The importance of enhancing cooperation and exchanges in multilateral formats was also emphasized, particularly during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and in the context of the 13th Session of the United Nations World Urban Forum (WUF13), scheduled to be held in Baku on May 17–22, 2026.

Sri Lankan officials expressed deep gratitude to the leadership and people of Azerbaijan for providing humanitarian assistance following the country’s recent natural disaster, as well as for offering opportunities for Sri Lankan citizens to participate in Azerbaijan’s state education grant programs.