Sri Lankan president to visit Cuba next week

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe will leave next week for Cuba to participate in the upcoming Summit of the Group of 77 (G77) plus China, a journalistic source confirmed.

In order to further strengthen cooperation between Sri Lanka and Cuba, there are plans for bilateral talks between Wickremesinghe and his counterpart, Miguel Díaz-Canel, in parallel to the major meeting scheduled for September 15-16 in Havana, according to the Adaderana website.

The news media recalled that Wickremesinghe’s participation in the Summit is the result of an official invitation from Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.

It pointed out that the G77 plus China represents the largest intergovernmental coalition of 134 developing countries, recognized by the United Nations, and stressed the theme of the Summit, which is Current Development Challenges: Role of Science, Technology and Innovation.

The website added that the group serves as a platform for the countries of the South to express and promote their shared economic interests and at the same time improve their collaborative negotiating skills.

Adaderana pointed out that the Havana Summit offers an opportunity to address contemporary challenges in the fields of science, technology and innovation, explore cooperative solutions, particularly through collaboration among the South.

It noted that the event is expected to adopt the Havana Declaration, which will outline actions for reforms and new approaches to boost cooperation among the countries of the South in the fields of science, technology and innovation.

The Sri Lankan President will be accompanied by Aruni Wijewardena, Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a delegation of senior officials from the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.