“Relations between Italy and Sri Lanka are excellent, due in part to the increasingly successful integration of the Sinhalese community in Italy: more than 100,000 Sri Lanka natives have chosen Italy as their second home,” Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, said when he greeted his colleague from Sri Lanka, Tilak Janak Marapana, on the telephone this morning.
Particular attention was paid to boosting economic cooperation, including the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Sri Lanka and the EU. Minister Alfano added: “Bilateral trade has increased significantly in recent years, and important Italian companies have also increased their interest in the Sri Lanka market. But there is still broad room for expansion, and we wish to explore this more fully.”
