Sri Lanka engages in Global dialogue via Riyadh WEF meeting

• Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Ali Sabry, aims to position the country in the dialogue between the Global South and North.
• The meeting focused on the Global South, comprising countries mostly in the Southern Hemisphere.
• The Kingdom has expanded ties with Sri Lanka, agreeing to broaden political consultation.

Sri Lanka’s foreign minister stated that the country is striving to position itself in the dialogue between the Global South and North, following the World Economic Forum’s special meeting on global collaboration organized by Saudi Arabia.

The WEF convened 1,000 global leaders arriving in Riyadh from 92 countries on April 28-29 for its Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development. The aim was to find actionable, collaborative, and sustainable solutions to shared challenges.

The meeting focused on the Global South, comprising countries mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a significant presence in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These regions have often been described as developing or less developed until recently.

At the forum’s session titled “North to South, East to West: Rebuilding Trust,” Sri Lanka FM Ali Sabry represented the Global South perspective alongside his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

“It was a great opportunity for me to showcase Sri Lanka and the challenges that countries in the Global South face, and also to position Sri Lanka as an important player, particularly in the Global South in shaping the future … for collaboration, peace and stability, rather than confrontation,” he told the news.

At the invitation of Prince Faisal, the minister was in Riyadh, where he also held a meeting with him.

“We look forward to elevating the partnership,” Sabry said.

“We intend to sign the investment protection agreement that would probably pave the way for the inflow of investment into Sri Lanka.”

During his visit, he also met other Saudi leaders to explore further cooperation possibilities.

Since last year, the Kingdom has expanded ties with the South Asian Island nation, agreeing to broaden political consultation and launching a new employment scheme aimed at boosting Sri Lanka’s manpower exports.

Colombo has since sought Saudi assistance in developing several of its key sectors, including tourism and agriculture.

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