COLOMBO : On the December 9, an in-house seminar on ‘Cooperation of ASEAN and ASEAN Dialogue
Partners for Sri Lanka ’ organised by the Korean Embassy, was held at the Hilton Hotel in Colombo. This seminar was held to understand the present economic situation of Sri Lanka and the multi-pronged approaches ASEAN and ASEAN Dialogue Partners can adopt to cooperate with Sri Lanka effectively.
The audience included Korean Embassy staff, Korean ODA agencies such as KOICA, KOTRA, K-EXIM Bank and Saemaul Foundation, and the representatives of the Korean Communities such as Korean Businessmen’ Association (KBA), Korean Residents’ Association (KRA) and Peaceful UnificationAdvisory Council (PUAC).
Delivering welcoming remarks, Korean Ambassador Santhush Woonjin JEONG emphasised that multilateral cooperation is timely for the sustainable recovery of the Sri Lankan economy. “As an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, Korea has always been interested to strengthen multilateral cooperation with Sri Lanka. As Korean Ambassador, I would like to focus on strengthening cooperation between Korea, Sri Lanka, and ASEAN & ASEAN Dialogue Partners. I firmly believe that challenge is another chance.
With time and collective efforts, I hope that Sri Lanka will resolve its economic challenges and lookforward to a brighter future.”
The Guest Panel featured eminent experts who shared relevant information on the Sri Lanka’s situation and ways to strengthen multilateral cooperation with ASEAN and ASEAN Dialogue Partners.
Dr. George Cooke Professor at the University of Colombo discussed the importance of multilateral dialogue with the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and its potential for Sri Lanka along the lines of security, sustainability and strategy. He emphasised that Sri Lanka should deepen collaborations based on mutual trust with the ARF including Korea.
Sumith Nakandala, Senior Diplomat and Director of Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies elaborated on how Sri Lanka can constructively engage with ASEAN Dialogue Partners. He further
discussed ways in which Korean ODA agencies can focus on encouraging Sri Lankan involvement in the global and regional value chain.
Mohammed Rasooldeen, Chief Editor of Colombo Times and Arab News Correspondent outlined how ASEAN Dialogue Partners’ Cooperation to help Sri Lanka’s recovery, focusing on the health sector,digital transformation, human security and projects targeting Sri Lanka’s vulnerable communities.
Lynn Ockersz, Business & Finance Editor of ‘the Island,’ and seasoned columnist in International
Affairs discussed ways to transform Economic Challenges into Opportunities. He stated, “Korea has
emerged as a predominant economic, political and military power in the world and it will be in interests of countries and regions to strengthen ties with Korea. Rated by some as the ‘most creative country in the world’, mutually-beneficial ties with Korea emerge as a must for the global community. Forums such as this one are bound to throw light on the multiple ways in which strong ties with ASEAN Dialogue
partners including Korea could advance the interests of countries and regions.”
The session concluded with a fruitful Q&A session which further provided a platform to clarify areas on the development of tourism and other insightful areas. The Guest panel, with their analytical acumen, shared profound and helpful information with the audience which will help create a more dynamic engagement between Sri Lanka and ASEAN Dialogue Partners including Korea.Press release from the Korean embassy
