EXCLUSIVE: Sri Lanka, Iran To Ink 5 Agreements During Raisi's Visit

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka and Iran will sign five agreements during the visit of President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi to Sri Lanka.

Iran's ambassador to Sri Lanka Alireza Delkhosh speaking exclusively News 1st's Zulfick Farzan on Monday (22).

The Ambassador confirmed that President Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi will arrived on Wednesday (24), also confirmed the island nation's foreign affairs Minister Ali Sabry on Monday (22).

He said that both president's will engage in discussions of bilateral relations, including on political, economic, and cultural matters.

On Sunday (21) Dr Raisi before leaving for Pakistan and Sri Lanka named the strengthening of economic and trade relations with Pakistan and Sri Lanka as one of the goals of this trip and added, "In line with the neighbourhood policy, the Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to take new steps in the development and promotion of relations with neighbouring countries”.

Before leaving for Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi stated that this trip is done at the invitation of the presidents of the two friendly countries and clarified that Pakistan is one of the important countries of South Asia and has long-standing historical and cultural relations with Iran, and political and economic relations, as well as regional and extra-regional cooperation have always been the focus of the two countries”.

Referring to the common view of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan in the field of human rights, defence of the oppressed people of Palestine and the fight against terrorism, the President stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with the neighbourhood policy and the development of relations with Islamic countries, is interested in promoting relations with Pakistan and during this trip, various issues including economic and commercial issues, energy and border issues will be discussed with the government of Pakistan”.

The President also stated the development of economic and trade relations with Sri Lanka as one of the goals of his visit to this country and, referring to the significant growth of cooperation between the two countries in the technical and engineering fields, he expressed hope that this trip will be a turning point in improving the level of relations between Iran and Sri Lanka.

The highlight of his Sri Lankan visit will be the participation in the opening ceremony and official inauguration of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Project, alongside the Sri Lankan President.

The Uma Oya Multipurpose Project, featuring two dams and a 120-megawatt power plant constructed by Iranian contractors, is hailed as one of Sri Lanka's largest civil engineering endeavors, valued at approximately $500 million.

The purpose of the project is to improve irrigation of 5000 acres of agricultural land, transferring 145 million cubic meters of water and generating 290 GW/h of power in a year.

With financing provided by the Sri Lankan government, over 400 Iranian engineers have played a pivotal role in its implementation, contributing from consultation and design to execution.

Back in August 2023, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry visited Iran and met with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, in Tehran During a joint press conference, the top Iranian diplomat called the visit “a turning point in Iran-Sri Lanka ties.”