Zarif Confers With Lanka Leaders

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday in Colombo where the two sides called for boosting ties.  Sirisena referred to the history of bilateral and friendly relations and revived the memory of his “beneficial and constructive” visit to Iran earlier in May where he met  senior officials to discuss ways to expand cooperation, especially in areas of energy, Mehr News Agency reported. “There is no barrier to the expansion of bilateral relations between Iran and Sri Lanka,” he asserted after voicing his interest in bolstering bilateral cooperation and collaboration in international forums. Zarif described the areas of cooperation between the two countries as diverse and broad and called for expansion of interaction in areas of energy, agriculture, as well as technical and engineering services. On Wednesday, Zarif called on Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Lankan prime minister, to talk about the latest developments in bilateral relations, regional and international issues. Zarif was to arrive later in Singapore to sign documents on Iran’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.