Foreign relations of Sri Lanka

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Sidebar with collapsible lists Foreign relations of Sri Lanka refers to the diplomatic and commercial relations between Sri Lanka and other countries. Sri Lanka has stressed its principle of "friendship towards all, enmity towards none" in its diplomacy.

Sri Lanka since the 1950s has followed a non-aligned foreign policy, which does not take sides with major powers. Since the end of the Cold War in Asia, the country has pursued better relations with all major powers and seeks to strengthen its diplomatic, economic and military ties with China, India, Pakistan, Russia, the United States, Japan, South Korea and the European Union. Sri Lanka has also forged close ties with the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), African Union and Arab League.

Sri Lanka participates in multilateral diplomacy, particularly at the United Nations, where it seeks to promote sovereignty, independence, and development in the developing world. Sri Lanka was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). It also is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (as dialogue partner) and Colombo Plan. Sri Lanka continues its active participation in the NAM, while also stressing the importance it places on regionalism by playing a strong role in SAARC.

File:Ambassador of Sri Lanka visiting the EIB.jpg

Sri Lanka Ambassador to the European Union Grace Asirwatham.

History

The goal of Sri Lanka's foreign policy is to maintain a strong, independent, powerful and unitary Sri Lanka, whose foreign policy establishment maintains it in achieving that goal.

Sri Lanka's foreign policy has been founded in the national interest. In a period of rapid and continuing change, foreign policy can respond optimally to new challenges and opportunities. It has to be an integral part of the larger effort of building the nation's capabilities through economic development, strengthening social fabric and well-being of the people and protecting Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Sri Lanka's foreign policy is a forward-looking engagement with the rest of the world, based on a rigorous, realistic and contemporary assessment of the bilateral, regional and global geo-political and economic milieu.

Military

The Sri Lanka Armed Forces are the overall unified military of Sri Lanka and encompass the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force, which come under the Ministry of Defence (MOD). They receive military support from mainly China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Israel. The United States also gives limited support.

Diplomatic relations

List of countries with which Sri Lanka maintains diplomatic relations:

File:Diplomatic relations of Sri Lanka.svg
#	Country	Date
1	United Kingdom	Template:Dts
2	Australia	Template:Dts
3	Turkey	Template:Dts
4	Pakistan	Template:Dts
5	India	Template:Dts
6	France	Template:Dts
7	United States	Template:Dts
8	Myanmar	Template:Dts
9	Sweden	Template:Dts
10	Italy	Template:Dts
11	Norway	Template:Dts
12	Netherlands	Template:Dts
13	Japan	Template:Dts
14	Cambodia	Template:Dts
15	Indonesia	Template:Dts
16	Denmark	Template:Dts
17	Portugal	Template:Dts
18	Belgium	Template:Dts
19	Canada	Template:Dts
20	Germany	Template:Dts
21	Austria	Template:Dts
22	Finland	Template:Dts
23	Spain	Template:Dts
24	Thailand	Template:Dts
25	New Zealand	Template:Dts
26	Switzerland	Template:Dts
27	China	Template:Dts
28	Russia	Template:Dts
29	Poland	Template:Dts
30	Nepal	Template:Dts
31	Czech Republic	Template:Dts
32	Romania	Template:Dts
33	Serbia	Template:Dts
34	Egypt	Template:Dts
35	Malaysia	Template:Dts
36	Israel	Template:Dts
37	Greece	Template:Dts
38	Afghanistan	Template:Dts
39	Hungary	Template:Dts
40	Cuba	Template:Dts
41	Brazil	Template:Dts
42	Mexico	Template:Dts
43	Senegal	Template:Dts
44	Philippines	Template:Dts
45	Ghana	Template:Dts
46	Iraq	Template:Dts
47	Argentina	Template:Dts
48	Mongolia	Template:Dts
49	Bulgaria	Template:Dts
50	Algeria	Template:Dts
51	Chile	Template:Dts
52	Iran	Template:Dts
53	Bolivia	Template:Dts
54	Jordan	Template:Dts
55	Laos	Template:Dts
56	Maldives	Template:Dts
57	Sudan	Template:Dts
58	Syria	Template:Dts
59	Nigeria	Template:Dts
60	North Korea	Template:Dts
61	Singapore	Template:Dts
62	Vietnam	Template:Dts
63	Kenya	Template:Dts
64	Trinidad and Tobago	Template:Dts
65	Kuwait	Template:Dts
66	Bangladesh	Template:Dts
67	Luxembourg	Template:Dts
68	Fiji	Template:Dts
69	Uganda	Template:Dts
70	Ethiopia	Template:Dts
71	Libya	Template:Dts
72	Zambia	Template:Dts
73	Tanzania	Template:Dts
74	Guyana	Template:Dts
75	Saudi Arabia	Template:Dts
76	Peru	Template:Dts
—	Holy See	Template:Dts
77	Panama	Template:Dts
78	Mauritius	Template:Dts
79	Qatar	Template:Dts
80	Costa Rica	Template:Dts
81	South Korea	Template:Dts
82	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Template:Dts
83	United Arab Emirates	Template:Dts
84	Yemen	Template:Dts
85	Albania	Template:Dts
86	Cyprus	Template:Dts
87	Oman	Template:Dts
88	Tunisia	Template:Dts
89	Somalia
90	Bhutan	Template:Dts
91	Papua New Guinea	Template:Dts
92	Zimbabwe	Template:Dts
93	Vanuatu	Template:Dts
94	Tonga	Template:Dts
95	Brunei	Template:Dts
96	Venezuela	Template:Dts
97	Colombia	Template:Dts
—	Template:Country data State of Palestine	Template:Dts
98	Morocco	Template:Dts
99	Guinea	Template:Dts
100	Armenia	Template:Dts
101	Ukraine	Template:Dts
102	Bahrain	Template:Dts
103	Kazakhstan
104	Azerbaijan	Template:Dts
105	Moldova	Template:Dts
106	Slovakia	Template:Dts
107	Tajikistan	Template:Dts
108	South Africa	Template:Dts
109	Estonia	Template:Dts
110	Kyrgyzstan	Template:Dts
111	Ireland	Template:Dts
112	Turkmenistan	Template:Dts
113	Slovenia	Template:Dts
114	Lithuania	Template:Dts
115	Latvia	Template:Dts
116	Croatia	Template:Dts
117	Lebanon	Template:Dts
118	Template:Country data North Macedonia	Template:Dts
119	Template:Country data Georgia	Template:Dts
120	Seychelles	Template:Dts
121	Jamaica	Template:Dts
122	Iceland	Template:Dts
123	Mozambique	Template:Dts
124	Namibia	Template:Dts
125	Uruguay	Template:Dts
126	Uzbekistan	Template:Dts
127	Malta	Template:Dts
128	Eswatini	Template:Dts
129	Lesotho	Template:Dts
130	Belarus	Template:Dts
131	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Template:Dts
132	Madagascar	Template:Dts
133	Angola	Template:Dts
134	Bahamas	Template:Dts
135	Eritrea	Template:Dts
136	Botswana	Template:Dts
137	Paraguay	Template:Dts
138	Liberia	Template:Dts
139	Dominican Republic	Template:Dts
140	Montenegro	Template:Dts
141	Rwanda	Template:Dts
142	Ecuador	Template:Dts
143	Malawi	Template:Dts
144	Mali	Template:Dts
145	Republic of the Congo	Template:Dts
146	San Marino	Template:Dts
147	Burkina Faso	Template:Dts
148	Suriname	Template:Dts
149	El Salvador	Template:Dts
150	Haiti	Template:Dts
151	Grenada	Template:Dts
152	Mauritania	Template:Dts
153	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Template:Dts
154	Guatemala	Template:Dts
155	Honduras	Template:Dts
156	Solomon Islands	Template:Dts
157	Benin	Template:Dts
158	South Sudan	Template:Dts
159	Sierra Leone	Template:Dts
160	Ivory Coast	Template:Dts
161	Samoa	Template:Dts
162	Togo	Template:Dts
163	Djibouti	Template:Dts
164	Monaco	Template:Dts
165	Andorra	Template:Dts
166	Dominica	Template:Dts
167	Burundi	Template:Dts
168	Gambia	Template:Dts
169	Nicaragua	Template:Dts
170	Saint Lucia	Template:Dts
171	Barbados	Template:Dts
172	Liechtenstein	Template:Dts
173	Gabon	Template:Dts
174	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Template:Dts
175	Timor-Leste	Template:Dts
176	Guinea-Bissau	Template:Dts
177	Antigua and Barbuda	Template:Dts
178	Belize	Template:Dts

Bilateral relations

Africa

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Kenya	1970	See Kenya–Sri Lanka relations
South Africa	16 September 1994	See South Africa–Sri Lanka relations

Americas

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Cuba	29 July 1959	See Cuba–Sri Lanka relations
Mexico	19 April 1960	See Mexico–Sri Lanka relations Mexico is accredited to Sri Lanka from its embassy in New Delhi, India, and maintains an honorary consulate in Colombo. Sri Lanka is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, DC, United States, and maintains an honorary consulate in Mexico City.
United States	23 October 1948	See Sri Lanka–United States relations File:Jayewardene presents elephant to Reagan.jpg President Jayewardene of Sri Lanka presents a baby elephant to President Reagan and the American people in 1984 The US Embassy in Sri Lanka is located in Colombo, as are the US Agency for International Development offices and Public Affairs offices. IBB offices are located near Chilaw, 75 km north of Colombo. Sri Lankan Embassy is located in Washington, DC.

Asia

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Armenia	12 February 1992	See Foreign relations of Armenia Armenia is accredited to Sri Lanka from its embassy in New Delhi, India. Sri Lanka is accredited to Armenia from its embassy in Moscow, Russia.
Azerbaijan		See Azerbaijan–Sri Lanka relations Azerbaijan is accredited to Sri Lanka from its embassy in New Delhi, India. Sri Lanka is accredited to Azerbaijan from its embassy in Tehran, Iran.
Bangladesh	1972	See Bangladesh – Sri Lanka relations
Bhutan	13 May 1987	Diplomatic relations began in 1987. The ambassador of the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi is accredited to Bhutan. The ambassador of the Bhutanese Embassy in Dhaka is accredited to Sri Lanka. Bhutan has an honorary consulate in Colombo.
China	7 February 1957	See China–Sri Lanka relations
India	4 February 1948	See India–Sri Lanka relations Bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and India have been generally friendly but were affected by the Sri Lankan civil war and by the failure of the Indian Peace Keeping Force during the civil war. India is Sri Lanka's only neighbour, separated by the Palk Strait. Both nations occupy a strategic position in South Asia and have sought to build a common security umbrella in the Indian Ocean. Relations between India and Sri Lanka relations have undergone a qualitative and quantitative transformation in the recent past. Political relations are close, trade and investments have increased dramatically, infrastructural linkages are constantly being augmented, defence collaboration has increased and there is a general, broad-based improvement across all sectors of bilateral cooperation. India was the first country to respond to Sri Lanka's request for assistance after the tsunami in December 2004. In July 2006, India evacuated 430 Sri Lankan nationals from Lebanon, first to Cyprus by Indian Navy ships and then to Delhi & Colombo by special Air India flights. There exists a broad consensus within the Sri Lankan polity on the primacy of India in Sri Lanka's external relations matrix. Both major political parties in Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the United Nationalist Party, have contributed to the rapid development of bilateral relations in the last ten years. Sri Lanka has supported India's candidature to the permanent membership of the UN Security Council.
Indonesia	6 August 1952	See Indonesia–Sri Lanka relations Indonesia has an embassy in Colombo. Sri Lanka has an embassy in Jakarta.
Iran	1961	See Iran–Sri Lanka relations Iran and Sri Lanka have had official diplomatic relations since 1961. Diplomatic relations between Iran and Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon) began in 1961 via the Ceylonese embassy in Islamabad, which was the closest Ceylon had to a presence on Iranian soil until the opening of the Tehran embassy office in 1990. Tehran set up its Colombo office in 1975. After Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became President of Iran, Sri Lanka was the first country he visited on his inaugural Asian tour. Mahinda Rajapaksa also made ties with Iran a priority after he ascended to office.
Iraq	22 February 1961	See Sri Lanka–Iraq relations Sri Lanka has an embassy in Baghdad Iraq has an embassy in Colombo. Iraq was the largest buyer of Sri Lankan tea during the reign of Saddam Hussein. Ties between Sri Lanka and Iraq were disrupted during the Iraq War. However, in 2018 Iraq re-emerged as the largest buyer of Sri Lankan Tea.
Israel	1 June 1956	See Israel–Sri Lanka relations Sri Lanka has a close relationship with Israel, and its military is a major user of Israeli weapons systems that include the IAI Kfir Fighter Jet, the Super Dvora Mk III class Patrol Vessel, and the Gabriel missile. In May 2011, the Israeli Minister of Agriculture visited Sri Lanka with an agro-business delegation to promote cooperation between the two countries.
Japan	28 April 1952	See Japan – Sri Lanka relations During the Second World War, an air raid was carried out by Japan to bomb the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Later, relations between Japan and Sri Lanka became friendly, and they established official relations in 1952. Japan has an embassy in Colombo. Sri Lanka has an embassy in Tokyo. Sri Lankan President JR Jayawardene played a major role in re-admitting Japan to the world community at the San Francisco Conference
Malaysia	October 1957	See Malaysia–Sri Lanka relations Malaysia has a high commission in Colombo, and Sri Lanka has a high commission in Kuala Lumpur.
Maldives	26 July 1965	See Maldives–Sri Lanka relations
Nepal	1 July 1957	Foreign relations of Nepal Nepal and Sri Lanka established diplomatic relations on 1 July 1957. Nepal opened an honorary consulate general in Colombo in 1975 and established its embassy in 1995. Sri Lanka has a residential embassy in Kathmandu since 1993. Around sixty thousand Sri Lankans visit Lumbini annually to pay homage to Gautam Buddha's birthplace Lumbini, so Government of Sri Lanka has built a rest house and constructed a Buddhist monastery complex in Lumbini. Following the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, Sri Lanka was one of the first three countries to send medical and search-and-rescue teams to the country. The Sri Lanka Air Force|Aiorce sent flights of C-130 Hercules aircraft, and SriLankan Airlines sent Airbus A330 aircraft, carrying Sri Lanka Army emergency teams.
Pakistan	May 1948	See Pakistan–Sri Lanka relations
Template:Country data Palestine	April 1982	See Palestine–Sri Lanka relations Palestine has very close ties to Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka has made monetary donations to Palestine on various occasions. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena also assured that Sri Lanka is committed to stand by the struggle for independence of the Palestinian people. There is an embassy for the state of Palestine in Colombo.
Philippines	17 April 1958	See Philippines–Sri Lanka relations
South Korea	14 November 1977	see South Korea–Sri Lanka relations Diplomatic relations between both nations were established on 14 November 1977. South Korean investments in Sri Lanka (cumulative total at the end of June 2014) total $731 million. The Republic of Korea has an embassy in Colombo. Sri Lanka has an embassy in Seoul.
Turkey	September 1958	See Sri Lanka–Turkey relations Since 2012, Sri Lanka has an embassy in Ankara. Since 2013, Turkey has an embassy in Colombo.

Europe

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Croatia	14 February 1997	Foreign relations of Croatia Sri Lanka recognised Croatia on 27 May 1992. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 14 February 1997. Both countries have agreed on bilateral treaties in various fields.
Cyprus	March 1981	Cyprus is accredited to Sri Lanka by its High Commission in New Delhi, India and an honorary consulate in Colombo. Sri Lanka is accredited to Cyprus from its embassy in Rome, Italy and an honorary consulate in Larnaca. Both countries have agreed on bilateral treaties in various fields. Both countries are full members of Commonwealth of Nations.
Czech Republic	28 December 1957 and 15 February 1993	Historically, relations between the Czech Republic and Sri Lanka have been good, with foundations to build upon in strengthening bilateral cooperation. There have been state visits by both sides. The Czech Republic has a consulate in Colombo. In 2000 Czech Republic provided RM-70 multiple rocket launchers for Sri Lanka Army.
Denmark	5 January 1953	See Denmark–Sri Lanka relations
Estonia	31 January 1996	See Estonia–Sri Lanka relations
Germany	9 December 1953	See Germany–Sri Lanka relations Germany has an embassy in Colombo. Sri Lanka has an embassy in Berlin.
Greece	1957	Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1957. Greece is accredited to Sri Lanka from its embassy in New Delhi, India. Sri Lanka is accredited to Greece from its embassy in Rome, Italy.
Holy See	6 September 1975	See Holy See–Sri Lanka relations Formal relations Began in 1978. The Holy See has a nunciature in Colombo. Sri Lanka has an embassy in Rome.
Hungary	15 February 1959	See Hungary–Sri Lanka relations Sri Lanka has an embassy in Vienna, Austria that is accredited to Hungary. and has a consul in Budapest Hungary maintains a consulate in Colombo. Relations are low-keyed, but there are no outstanding issues. Hungary contributed to relief after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and has since stepped up aid to Sri Lanka.
Romania	15 September 1957	See Romania–Sri Lanka relations The Romanian Ambassador in New Delhi is concurrently accredited to Sri Lanka, and the Sri Lanka Mission in Warsaw, Poland, is concurrently accredited to Romania. The President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga characterized relations between the two countries in 2003 as "close and friendly". Diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and Romania were established on 15 September 1957. They werre initially maintained at Legation level but were raised to ambassadorial level in 1967. In 1963, Romania opened a commercial office in Colombo, which was upgraded to as embassy in 1976 with a chargé d'affaires. The Romanian Mission in Colombo was closed in 1995 but reopened as a commercial office in 1998. In 1978, the Sri Lankan minister of Foreign Affairs visited Romania. Romania provided 32,000 euros worth of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka after it was devastated by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004. The ambassador designate of Sri Lanka in Bucharest was Clarence Felician Chinniah until his death, in January 2009. In December 2009, Valerica Epure presented her credentials to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to become Ambassador-Designate of Romania to Sri Lanka. In December 2009, with the end of the civil war in Sri Lanka, 46 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees were sent to Romania to be processed for resettlement from Indonesia on their way to Australia. Bilateral trade between Sri Lanka and Romania was valued at US$8.87 million in 2007, up from US$7.9 million in 2006. Efforts have been made to expand trade in Ceylon tea to Romania. In 2009, the chairman and CEO of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Anil Koswatte, singled out Romania as country to which exports could be increased.
Russia	19 February 1957	See Russia–Sri Lanka relations File:Rajapaksa and Medvedev at St Petersburg Economic Forum.jpeg President Mahinda Rajapaksa with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, at St. Petersburg Economic Forum, in June 2011. During the war between the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and the Tamil Tigers, Russia helped the Sri Lankese government by providing education on battlefield tactics to the Sri Lanka Army. Russia has an embassy in Colombo. Sri Lanka has an embassy in Moscow.
Serbia	14 October 1957	Both countries established diplomatic relations in 1956. A number of bilateral agreements in various fields have been concluded and are in force between both countries.
Spain	10 July 1955	See Spain–Sri Lanka relations Spain is accredited to Sri Lanka from its embassy in New Delhi, India. Sri Lanka is accredited to Spain from its embassy in Paris, France.
Switzerland	23 January 1956	See Sri Lanka–Switzerland relations In the 1980s, political relations between Switzerland and Sri Lanka intensified, with many Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing from the Sri Lankan civil war to find asylum in Switzerland.
United Kingdom	4 February 1948	See Sri Lanka–United Kingdom relations Diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom were established on 22 October 1946. Sri Lanka maintains a high commission in London. The United Kingdom is accredited to Sri Lanka through its high commission in Colombo. The UK governed Sri Lanka from 1802 to 1948, until it achieved full independence as Ceylon. Both countries share common membership of the Commonwealth and the World Trade Organization. Bilaterally the two countries have an Investment Agreement.

Oceania

Country	Formal Relations Began	Notes
Australia	4 February 1948	See Australia–Sri Lanka relations Australia has a High Commission in Colombo. Sri Lanka has a (High Commission) in Canberra and five consulates-general in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
New Zealand	14 December 1955	See Foreign relations of New Zealand New Zealand and Sri Lanka have a strong relationship since the 1800s. New Zealand has longstanding Commonwealth, migrant and sporting ties with Sri Lanka. New Zealand has a High Commission in Colombo. Sri Lanka is accredited to New Zealand from its high commission in Canberra, Australia. New Zealand visits to Sri Lanka: Prime Minister John Key and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Murray McCully visited Sri Lanka for the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013. Hon Murray McCully, Minister of Foreign Affairs, June, August 2013 Sri Lankan Parliamentary Delegation attending the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference, October 1998 Agriculture, Lands & Forestry Minister Jayaratne, May 1996

See also

• List of diplomatic missions in Sri Lanka
• List of diplomatic missions of Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka and the Non-Aligned Movement

Further reading

• Copper, J. F. "China and Sri-Lanka: Old Friendship Renewed." Asia Quarterly 2 (1975): 101-110.
• Höglund, Kristine, and Isak Svensson. "Mediating between tigers and lions: Norwegian peace diplomacy in Sri Lanka's civil war." Contemporary South Asia 17.2 (2009): 175-191.
• Peebles, Patrick. The History of Sri Lanka (Greenwood, 2005)
• Suryanarayan, V, "Sri Lanka's policy towards China: Legacy of the past and prospects for the future." China Report 30.2 (1994): 203-21

External links

• Ministry of External Affairs of Sri Lanka
• Fallacy and the Reality of IMF Standby Arrangement for Sri Lanka by The Sunday Times