Sri Lanka’s Minister of Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation Bimal Rathnayake met with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Transport and Logistics Saleh Al-Jasser on the sidelines of the 2nd Sustainable Maritime Industry Conference held in Jeddah on September 3–4, 2025.
During the meeting, Rathnayake outlined Sri Lanka’s recent political and economic progress and highlighted opportunities in the island’s ports and logistics sectors. He proposed setting up a bilateral mechanism to explore cooperation and invited a Saudi delegation to take part in the International Maritime Summit, Voyage Sri Lanka-2025, scheduled for October 16 in Colombo.
Al-Jasser congratulated Sri Lanka on its achievements and praised the government’s efforts to build a strong foundation for development. He affirmed the Kingdom’s support and interest in forging stronger partnerships, including private sector collaboration.
Both ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation at the International Maritime Organization and to advance capacity-building programmes for seafarers.
Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ameer Ajwad, Acting Consul General in Jeddah Mafusa Lafir, Additional Director General D.A.S. Jayasekara, and the Minister’s Private Secretary Asanka Chandrasena joined the bilateral discussions. (Newswire)