The Deputy Minister warmly welcomed the Ambassador and congratulated Sri Lanka for electing its 9th President. He expressed his delight regarding the existing bilateral cooperation, particularly on security related matters. He also appreciated the professionalism of Sri Lankan security establishments in tackling terrorism and extremism and the cooperation that the two countries have in this regard.
Deputy Minister Karaloğlu further stated that the signing of the proposed bilateral security agreement at an early date would consolidate the cooperation in the realm of security. He further underscored the vast opportunities that emerge from furthering bilateral cooperation in a wide range of sectors, and also referred to the establishment of formal diplomatic relations 76 years ago.
Ambassador Dissanayake highlighted that relations between the two countries indeed pre-date the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1948, and that history was made in 1864 when the first Honorary Consulate of Türkiye was established in Galle, and therefore the year 2024 marks the 160th anniversary of relations between the two countries. She further noted that with the two countries establishing Embassies in Türkiye in 2012 and in Sri Lanka in 2013, bilateral relations have developed rapidly.
The Ambassador also noted that the security establishments of each of the two countries demonstrate unique skills and expertise, whereas there are also parallel strengths shared by them in addressing extremism, radicalization, human trafficking, and so forth. Therefore, bilateral agreements can facilitate more opportunities to share experiences and training, leveraging skills and expertise of both sides.
Moreover, the Ambassador discussed the issues faced by Sri Lankans visiting Türkiye in obtaining visas and residence permits for various purposes including business, tourist, and educational purposes, attending international fairs, and by those who arrive in the country as both blue collar and white collar employees.
The Ambassador also referred to the increasing tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka with the country gaining popularity as an attractive tourist destination among travelers from many parts of the world including those from Türkiye. She further added that in order to facilitate them, the number of direct flights from Istanbul operated by Turkish Airlines have been increased, and Turkish travelers can benefit from the easy process introduced to obtain visa for Sri Lanka, particularly with Türkiye being included in the 38 countries that would receive visa on arrival on gratis basis in the near future.
However, it was noted that the cost of the tourist visa for Türkiye is not only very high, but also there are many complications experienced by Sri Lankan travelers in obtaining Turkish Visa. Deputy Minister assured to look into working closely with the Embassy on these matters, through the Turkish Board of Migration, which is directly responsible for the issuance visas.
