Foreign Minister leads Sri Lanka delegation at NAM meeting

Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana is leading the Sri Lanka delegation to the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

The Foreign Minister said that Marapana is in Baku, Azerbaijan leading the Sri Lanka delegation to the 18th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Minister Marapana is taking part in the Preparatory Ministerial Meeting which will lead to the Summit scheduled to be held from 25 ? 26 October, under the new NAM Chairmanship of Azerbaijan.

The preparatory Ministerial meeting follows the Senior Officials meeting which was held from 21 ? 22 October.

The 18th Summit of NAM is held under the theme ?Upholding the Bandung Principles to ensure concerted and adequate response to the challenges of a contemporary world?.

Sri Lanka is a co-sponsor of the Bandung Conference of 1955 and a founding member of the NAM.

The Group has continued to progress over the last six decades and its membership has now surpassed 120.

Meanwhile,?Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Minister Tilak Marapana on the sidelines of the 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Baku.

The sides hailed the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. They noted that there are prospects for enhancing cooperation between Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka in both political and trade-economic fields. In this regard, the sides noted the expansion of cooperation between the two countries in the field of civil aviation and other areas.

The sides stated that the use of the mechanism of Foreign Ministerial consultations as well as coordination of efforts within the Intergovernmental Commissions could give additional impetus to the development of bilateral relations.