Sri Lanka’s Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath has concluded a two-day official visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, where he led the country’s delegation to the seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).
Held on October 15 under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship, the summit brought together representatives of the organisation’s 28 member states to discuss regional connectivity, digital transformation and sustainable development.
Addressing the summit, Minister Herath stressed the importance of strengthening economic integration through improved regional connectivity, digitalisation and closer cooperation among member states.
The summit concluded with the adoption of the Baku Declaration, the admission of Laos as a full member of CICA, the extension of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship for the 2026–2028 period and the appointment of Sultan Hajiyev as the organisation’s Secretary-General.
During his visit, Herath met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at Zuğulba Palace and held bilateral discussions with representatives from Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Tajikistan, Türkiye and Palestine. He also met CICA Secretary-General Kairat Sarybay.
The discussions focused on expanding cooperation in key areas, including trade, tourism, agriculture and energy security.
The minister also participated in a high-level business meeting with representatives of Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy company SOCAR to explore potential opportunities for energy cooperation between the two countries.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Iran, concurrently accredited to Azerbaijan, Professor Fazeeha Azmi, and Chamari Rodrigo, Director General of the Foreign Ministry’s South East Asia and Central Asia Division, accompanied the minister during the visit.
According to Sri Lanka’s Foreign Ministry, the visit reaffirmed the country’s commitment to strengthening ties with CICA member states and promoting regional economic cooperation.
