Baku:President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev welcomed Vijitha Herath, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka, during his visit to Azerbaijan.

According to Azeri-Press news agency, the Sri Lankan Minister expressed his gratitude for the invitation to the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and congratulated President Aliyev on hosting the event in Baku. He also praised Azerbaijan's successful chairmanship of the organization, expressing hope that the Summit would enhance cooperation among member states.

President Aliyev expressed appreciation for the support Azerbaijan received from member states, including Sri Lanka, which he said demonstrated the success of Azerbaijan's leadership and the trust it has garnered. The visit was also seen as an opportunity to discuss the potential for bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka.

Minister Herath thanked Azerbaijan for its humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka during recent natural disasters. The discussions highlighted the strong collaboration between the two countries within international organizations like the UN, the Non-Aligned Movement, and CICA. They explored avenues to expand economic, trade, and tourism ties, and discussed educational cooperation, noting the presence of Sri Lankan students in Azerbaijan.