New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, has welcomed Sri Lanka’s application to accede to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), during his official visit to Colombo.
Deputy Prime Minister Peters and Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath held discussions on expanding investment opportunities for New Zealand companies and enhancing bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors.
In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister Peters noted that the visit aims to further deepen the longstanding relationship between the two nations, which has historically included development cooperation focused on community resilience, food security, and disaster response.
“We are proud to announce a new initiative — the Sustainable Water and Livelihoods project — which will support farming households in Sri Lanka to improve both their health and income generation,” Peters stated.
On regional and global issues, the two leaders exchanged views on the increasingly complex global environment and the intersecting challenges facing development, trade, and security in the Indo-Pacific region. Peters reaffirmed New Zealand’s commitment to cooperation with Sri Lanka on immigration, customs, policing, and defence.
The discussions also highlighted a growing interest from New Zealand companies in investing in Sri Lanka, particularly in the tourism, agriculture, and healthcare sectors. Government-to-government collaboration between food safety and border agencies was also discussed as a means to reduce red tape, enhance food safety standards, and improve Sri Lanka’s access to international markets.
Peters further announced that Sri Lankan officials will be offered places in short-term training courses in trade policy under the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Programme.
Touching on cultural ties, the Deputy Prime Minister celebrated the nations’ mutual love of sport, particularly rugby and cricket. He noted the success of the recent tour by the New Zealand men’s under-85kg rugby team, who played against Sri Lanka’s Tuskers, and looked forward to more sporting encounters between the two countries in the future.
Peters concluded by thanking the Sri Lankan government and Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath for their warm hospitality, as his delegation arrived on the island on Saturday (May 24).
