Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs;
Credit: MAEE
On Friday 9 July 2021, Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs confirmed that Minister Jean Asselborn, spoke via video conference with Dinesh Gunawardena, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Sri Lanka.
The virtual meeting provided an update on bilateral relations between the two countries. The ministers discussed areas that could strengthen economic and trade relations between the two countries, in particular through air services agreements and the double taxation treaty.
Relations between the European Union and Sri Lanka were also discussed during the video conference. Minister Asselborn reiterated the importance of upholding respect for human rights in Sri Lanka. In this context, the two ministers discussed the implementation of Human Rights Council resolution 30/1, the subject of the abolition of the death penalty, as well as the Sri Lankan law on the prevention of terrorism-related death.
The video conference also allowed Ministers Asselborn and Gunawardena to have an in-depth exchange of views on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and access to vaccines. The head of Luxembourg's diplomacy highlighted the contributions of the Grand Duchy to the COVAX facility, in a spirit of Luxembourg solidarity with the countries most affected by the health crisis.
